Workplace Drama

It's very difficult for me to let go of that blockade, because it was a bitter experience, very hard for me. Living with that feeling of being blocked for so long was awful, terrible, something I never want to relive. It's horrible to be blocked at your own workplace; it's dreadful. You feel completely excluded, marginalized, out of touch, without any appreciation whatsoever, especially when the authorities do absolutely nothing. It's unbelievable, the lack of consideration is brutal. But of course, the point is that being blocked, in a way, doesn't necessarily mean you're blocked. The fact that a communication channel is closed doesn't necessarily mean communication has been cut off. It's necessary to adapt the relationship to the situation, especially if there's a work-related aspect involved, in order to make the whole thing truly effective. My friend decided to dedicate herself to it, to commit herself fully. She couldn't allow her efforts to be wasted. She was actually looking out for us, for the work; she acted collaboratively with it, and she certainly did a great deal of good. Of course, I'm speaking from my own perspective, and legally speaking, I'm as clean as the paper it's written on.

What happened at the office was a nightmare. Because of this mental block, I've felt dizzy, like I'm having trouble moving around normally, like I always do. I've had to be indifferent to certain situations, and I feel like it's been harder for me to be at the office because those cases where there are possibilities, where there are resources, aren't being taken into account. In fact, I feel like, because of this mental block, I'm sacrificing my work for the sake of us. But something has to be done; we can't just pretend nothing is happening, not at all. It's difficult for me to get around at work with this block, because I also feel that there will be times when it will be necessary to contact my friend, but the bosses themselves think it's not necessary, when it is, it is, it's not a matter of putting up with it, of pretending nothing is happening, I'm made invisible in my work spirit, it's made clear that I'm not part of the coworkers, I'm excluded from the office for good, with that block, I'm left out, and a few simple hugs don't make a difference. I don't sit in the office because I'm not part of the whole office, because I've been completely restricted from one part, and an office is all of its parts. But I don't think they understand that at all. I've definitely had to live like that, marginalized, outside the office, and nobody has noticed at all. And if I do say something, people will focus not on ethics, but on immediate consequences, because I don't perform any specific function. They don't think about the worst-case scenario, but rather about the current normality, something I used against my boss to corner him, to make his arbitrariness his worst nightmare, because that's precisely where his problems came from—when I stood up for him, when I was able to recognize when he was out of control, and in that way, expose his tyrannical spirit once and for all.

Anyway, I don't feel like I belong in that office, and what it says on paper is a complete lie. It's barely a payroll. I think I sought it out lately to lessen the marginalization as much as possible, simply trying to make her my friend at all costs so I'd feel compensated for it. After several blocks, of course, after going through so much, in a desperate attempt to avoid feeling trapped, I don't think the authorities understand this at all. They can be however they want, their senses can act as they please, they can do whatever they want because they're pleased by others, by her, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm definitely dispensable, not at all. Seeing her post in the group chat hurts because I have to live at the mercy of uncertainty, have to find third parties to talk to her, and also find myself under her restrictions, just like what happened with my boss. I feel like I tore my boss to shreds by not standing up for me against this marginalization, by trying to silence her at all costs, by not doing anything about it. Well, resorting to aggressive, coercive tactics with her was the last straw and made me do everything possible to bring that criminal spirit to light.

In that office, they know absolutely nothing about mental health, and I have to navigate this constant tension to prevent them from telling me to just ignore her. They're not interested in human resources, they don't care, it's not a concern for them at all. They're completely out of touch with what a work structure is, and for that reason, I'm not going to waste my breath on them.

Let them resolve their problems and issues among themselves; after all, they are the ones who know best. Personally, I feel I can live without this girl, friend, whatever she is—it's shameful to call someone a friend who fired me, who got me fired, without any justification, in defense of my rights, even though I was well-placed. But I was never going to stop being a good citizen for her sake; in fact, I was going to strengthen my commitment, I was going to act as best I could, all to do my part, which, by the way, was appreciated later on at the company. But it wasn't free; it came at the cost of everyone now being embroiled in conflict, of a living hell being sown. Of course, I moved pieces, I moved funds. I think if the law had helped me, it would have created even worse problems for others, unfortunately. But seeing how I acted to do my part, to promote the greatest possible harmony on her part, and seeing how that company became a hellhole instead, with that girl, that feeling that I'm okay with her, within my means, and they aren't, is something I somehow feel. That's more rewarding than the law, because somehow it makes them feel like I do, that feeling of being singled out, that feeling of her being with you and you not knowing why, that feeling of being disoriented. It's gratifying that they're finally putting themselves in my shoes. And what's even more gratifying is the risk of her blocking me again, so that this girl will come face to face with someone she'll actually be afraid of, someone who will make her face the consequences of her actions. It's exposing her to someone with whom things aren't easy, by having the fights she's currently having at the company, putting everyone at risk of something happening, of turning everything into a living hell, of making them feel like they can't take it anymore. Seeing that point makes me feel completely relieved, because it makes me see that they're going through what I did, and that no one else saw. Ironically, even though I'm the one who could talk the most, I do nothing. I turn a blind eye, just like they did to me.

As for my boss, well, let him see what life is like, let it play tricks on him, let it put him in the middle of anger, in the middle of something that shouldn't have happened, let it make him lose everything, let it disturb his peace. That's what my last moments with him were like, and by the way, in his case, it really weighs heavily on him, it's enough to make that office his tomb. He doesn't care about my peace, and I'll do the same to him. He used to make a living by turning a blind eye and creating problems for me, with the girl doing her thing with me, without him seeing a thing. Now the situation has changed. Now I'm him with him, and the girl is doing things with him. The roles have changed, so that once and for all, they learn to respect me. Unlike all of them, I'm perfectly legal, but they aren't, not among themselves, and I'm not going to do anything about it to protect him. I'll turn my back on them. It's their problem if they come out looking good or bad; let them see what they do to me.

I couldn't let my friend be harmed. I couldn't let a legal trick by the bosses take her away from me, especially since they encouraged this behavior. Their malicious actions, exploiting loopholes and turning a blind eye, allowed her to do whatever she wanted, without any limitations whatsoever. No one said a word to her unless she was backed into a corner. It wasn't fair. My friend was completely closed off. I can't say I obstructed the law because there was no open case or authority that could intervene, no relevant authority whatsoever. But I was going to find a way to protect my friend. We were developing a close relationship, and I wasn't going to let them take her away from me. I don't conspire with everyone, and it's not fair that I should lose my friends, especially one who guided me through those blocks, who prevented my bosses from finding me out as a harasser or abuser, even if that wasn't the case, but she protected me, she cared for me, and she also got me out of the clutches of this controlling boss I had. That definitely had to have some value; I mean, I felt like she was blocking me. The office blockades, and the way they were implemented, are against the law, indeed. However, I can't say I defended them, but I did everything I could to be with my friend, for us to become friends. I finally had that opportunity, and she was acting on it, so I protected her at all costs. I made my boss show his true colors, what he was made of, how he played with people's health, how he played with the rules and all that. He wasn't going to be seen as the hero of the greater good when he never earned it. He was going to use the girl as a prize, to completely deflect attention, to enforce the law as he wanted in his favor, abusing my friend's process of us becoming friends, of us being together. I confess, it's incredibly difficult to reason, especially after the writer's block. I still feel it, it makes me want to do something else while I write, it makes me want to run away from these words. I wasn't going to let my boss get away with it, especially when his work affected millions of people, turning them into some kind of commodity or something. I wasn't going to allow it. However, despite everything, I chose to act silently, calmly, so that I would always be protected. It's fine that she's my friend, but I also need my own legal protection to act, and I acted accordingly. Well, I feel that somehow I'm lifting my gaze, my head, after observing the block. I feel that somehow I was stuck there all this time, for quite a few months, and I mean quite a few. I feel that I can finally turn away and focus on something else.

That situation, with her as the aggressor, definitely hasn't stopped, and I don't know if anyone can take action. The truth is, I got out of it. Besides, if my boss reported me, it would ruin the rest of the office, just as he wanted, to save himself from everyone else's disgrace. He wanted to make me face the consequences of his actions, of being a scoundrel who manipulated the bureaucracy as he pleased, just like he did with me, manipulating promises. I had to weigh up the options: was it him getting away with it, doing whatever he wanted, destroying the lives of millions of people, or acting for the girl, who had me completely blocked at the office, but who was something I could live with. At least it would allow me to do something about my boss, who was already distracted, and put him in his place once and for all. The guy took me and did whatever he wanted with me, without my permission, under the guise of institutional protection, claiming it was abandonment. The girl can unblock me if she wants, just by saying so, but of course, that will raise other suspicions about other situations. However, that's not my problem anymore. I can only look out for myself, try to minimize the legal intervention while something can still be done, always under her watch, of course. Wow, I've spent so much time staring at that blocked phone; it's like it absorbed me completely, for God's sake. Somehow, that blocked phone led me to see the office, to get me out of there, to throw me out of its confines through my perception, to see where I was. It was the last straw, madness. I feel like I can finally see the office in the distance, as it always should have been. What a misfortune to have worked with such a corrupt boss, where I always had to turn a blind eye. The guy was clearly an abuser. What a relief to finally feel free from that mental block. I never thought I'd overcome it. I feel like it somehow forced me to strain my eyes, to look at everything, to describe it. I finally feel good, after so long. I couldn't file a complaint, but the authorities have been good.

Definitely, this attempt they were making to finally expose my boss, to show that he was doing whatever he wanted with the paperwork, was something I had to fully support, because he was truly corrupt. In fact, it seems to me that he wasn't applying any methodology or anything like that on purpose, with the aim of dismantling the current administration; rather, everything was learned on the fly. In other words, it was all intentional, and now I understand why they were trying to smear me, because I would see the things that would clearly expose them. The guy thought I wouldn't act based on my own knowledge, that I would take it all in stride, but that wasn't the case. I was always informed about everything, seeing the big picture. I wasn't going to let my friend be led astray and thus tear the administration to shreds. He'd also wanted to dismantle the other department we shared with for some time now, to do things his way. He was a criminal, from every point of view, undeclared, not protected by bureaucracy; however, this young woman wasn't acting criminally, she wasn't marginalizing me in any way, she was guiding me, making full use of the arrangement we had. She was acting with complete sanity, unaware that the law would see it as marginalization, and what she was doing wasn't marginalization. The blockade was simply defining our relationship within our environment, in the office, safeguarding it, making it possible, preventing it from collapsing, of course, for the absolute benefit of the hierarchy as a facilitator of information. Anything beyond work would be dangerous, it would inflame things. I couldn't allow my boss's opinion to dictate the matter, a clear abuse of external influence.

Frankly, I'm afraid to discuss this with an AI, to make arguments, because the issue doesn't apply. For her to be marginalizing me with a block shows a complete lack of understanding of the very essence of a block. The button says "block," but that doesn't mean communication is blocked. On the contrary, it allows, it shapes, it structures. That's crucial to understand. This isn't about just any relationship; it's about applying it to the relationship itself. That's the point. I wasn't going to let her effort go to waste. In fact, she's not being provocative with me at all; quite the opposite. She's helping the relationship flourish, even professionally. What she did was perfectly fine, despite any prejudices. She acted in favor of the job, its stability, so we could be together, so that work wouldn't be an obstacle in any way. She acted for us. Wow, it's hard for me to say this because the whole "block button" thing is often interpreted as a complete block, when it's not always like that. Because, I insist, it guides, coordinates, and establishes a form of communication that expresses a "no" that isn't appropriate. My boss wasn't going to abuse that, and I wasn't going to try to gain power over her. She's my friend, I love her very much.

I'm afraid that office doesn't know how to protect itself at all. I'm prepared to file a complaint against this girl, and if they respond aggressively, I can calmly state that they're marginalizing me and protecting her, that they're enabling this situation, and that the office has long been in need of intervention. I have absolutely nothing to lose, however, that's not my intention. What I do want is to be protected from any danger while I'm in that office, from that girl's behavior, in case there's any trouble, or from anyone else. Simply pretending that everyone else is different isn't enough to protect myself; I need to feel like I have the office under my control, that everything is in my hands. At least that way, people will leave me alone and allow me to do what I want. Ironically, this girl sacrificed herself, as well as the very authorities she so fiercely defended and loved, and everyone else—their jobs, their employment, everything. She unwittingly placed them all in my hands, all because of her closed-mindedness, her self-imposed nature, her insistence on always being the way she wanted, on having only the friends she wanted, and that's it. She defended others, embraced others, loved others, and because others couldn't handle it out of fear. They were all condemned by her. She took everyone for a ride, of course, all thanks to her absolute assumptions, her prejudices against me, her failure to know me, her refusal to go beyond her own rules, her belief that things are the way they are, without considering whether they are protected by law or not. In other words, she definitely doesn't keep up with the times. This is the risk of not preparing to be a citizen. The premises were under my absolute control, primarily because of my own boss, who now acts as a slave to my family to avoid problems, conflicts, and any legal issues, or to avoid tarnishing his image. The man dared to call my father and is now under the full force of his wrath, the height of his fury, all for wanting to push beyond his limits. My boss was a dangerous individual who managed to escape from everywhere and was resisting capture, and I turned him in, both to the authorities and to my family. In other words, the man dug his own grave in the office, without me being able to do anything more. The girl's blocking me is infuriating. Honestly, I feel completely marginalized, ostracized from the office, at risk of something happening that would prevent me from contacting her directly. This has really bothered me, because what happens in the group, what comes up publicly, is everyone's problem and ours alone. I don't feel taken into account at all; in fact, I feel totally excluded. Anything that happens involving her affects me, fills me with thoughts, and then I can't do anything but stay silent, hold back, simply disappear, at the mercy of this marginalization. Meanwhile, the authorities can do whatever they want, and behind my back, contact her however they please, and she allows it, leaving me out of the loop, thinking I'm the only one who hasn't been able to reach her.

Things really got to this point. There was a situation with a family member where he died, and precisely because of my silence, my lack of communication, I was left completely adrift. When she posted about it in the group, everyone else was able to do something, to talk about it, except me, without any justification. The authorities, however, were able to. What a terrible pain. It's hard to describe because I feel like I have to fight against the mental block it left me with. The impact is as if it wants to drastically stop me from writing, as if it won't allow me to write. The pain is so intense, the pressure is so overwhelming, it's just too much to write. When they announced his death, I didn't know if he had died or if he was already there. I was completely in a daze, not knowing what was happening, what was going to happen, what to do. I simply didn't write, and I was surprised that everyone else posted their condolences and all that. The girl couldn't give me the information; she was afraid of rejecting me. She didn't know what to do. She's someone who doesn't know what she's doing. However, under the guise of blocking her, she's getting into serious trouble, and I was just graduating from university, so I couldn't allow this. The person who was trying to manipulate her, even at the cost of making her give in, I tore her to shreds because that's definitely not the way to deal with her. Things didn't go according to the standards of support I had received, support that I felt was worthy of me, and that's why I got angry with her.

I feel like that girl is living the high life right now, despite being an aggressor against me, someone who marginalizes me, and I'm even allowing it. How can I be friends with someone who excludes me from her life, for God's sake? How can I be friends with someone I don't see as just another coworker? The thing is, I can't really consider her a coworker because that office doesn't behave like an office at all; it's more of a social hub. Rules are completely irrelevant there, which is why I didn't file a complaint. Even though there are contracts and everything, the spirit of the law is entirely nonexistent. There's nothing there that establishes a regulatory framework, and there are no authorities to enforce it. People there don't know the law, except to run away. Work is a joke, an escape from life. What matters there is socializing, not the company itself. The company is secondary; in fact, the company is used for socializing, not for actual work. My contract might say one thing, but reality is quite different. That's why I never acted according to the blockade; in fact, I made it the least important thing in the matter so that the girl wouldn't be ruined. In fact, that's why I told my boss to go to hell, so that whatever he did would radically undermine him, so that his much-loved reputation would be destroyed. I wasn't interested in the girl being reported in any way; I was interested in her getting ahead. After the roadblocks started, they began to take her seriously, and the issue of the social center was going to change radically; it was heading in that direction, it was going to be abused, of course, because the incentives weren't implemented on time, so that my boss could get away with it, destroy the life of that girl who wasn't aware of what she was doing, who was in the process of getting to know me—I'm glad to be able to write despite feeling that block, which is quite drastic; I've been writing constantly to get to the root of it, but it's not easy.

It had been many months of feeling blocked, enduring things. I couldn't allow my boss to take advantage of the law; it wasn't fair, especially since I had encouraged that young woman to fully embrace her spirit of socialization. They weren't going to get away with it. I couldn't allow her environment to condemn her. She had a right to a life, to get ahead, to progress, to feel part of society, and to not fulfill that sentence that she wasn't fit to be outside. How fortunate that young woman was, both in terms of the affection of that family and the affection of others. The young woman could improve, and she has, and it hasn't been easy. Besides, they were going to take advantage of her, not having provided the incentive in time, taking her by surprise, and I wasn't going to allow it, all because of those prejudices about women and all that. Definitely, I had to stop, pause, because what they were going to do to her was retaliation for her not conforming to the group; it was going to be an absolute crime.

My boss is one of those people who thrive on marginalizing others, turning his back on them. When something happens, he ignores it, using silence as his main weapon, along with small gestures. But since I'm used to it with my father, I don't care. In fact, I suspect he tried to talk to my father and it backfired. Look, I see the guy and he doesn't know what he's talking about at all. He doesn't know what he's saying, how he's expressing it. The man has clearly been losing his mind for some time now. He's always blaming others for all his problems. I mean, the man doesn't recognize his actions, he doesn't know what he's doing. In fact, I have the impression that everyone in the office is trying to drive him crazy, justifiably, so we can avoid protecting him from falling into the trap where he'll be in for a rude awakening, precisely so we can finally have him at our mercy, under our control, and thus take complete control of the department, which has been out of our hands for quite some time. We don't know how much time we have left after the tragedies in my country, but at least something can be done. We can try to justify his current situation, taking advantage of his elusive nature and the trust of the authorities, who are women, given the pervasive sexism. We need to keep him under control; he makes everything he does work. We need to make all his strategies for clinging on a living hell. Bringing him down to earth only makes him escape again. While we can't get rid of him completely, since he threatens with gossip and other tactics, then let's play the game of subduing him until he changes or leaves. That way, we can have peace of mind and he can make the decision himself. But he has to understand that the company isn't his, and we don't have to submit to him, give him any special treatment, or anything like that. We've been subjected to this for too long, and we've had enough. In fact, one of the heads of the other department arrived late precisely so as not to be involved, not to support him in any way in that hell he'd gotten himself into, that the authorities had put him in, making him look desperate for recognition, like a chauvinist, someone who seeks power at any cost, justifying everything he does, running away from everything—that man who simply doesn't know where he stands and never has, and who uses work as an excuse, being himself completely useless; doing things is utterly pointless.

He wanted me to become part of a family with him so he could have control, but I didn't allow it. It's exhausting to keep zooming in on this issue. I'm tired and I'd like to dedicate myself to something else, to another area of ​​knowledge. However, I don't know what else to do, I don't know where to turn. I feel like my father would get angry if he saw me straying from the path I'm on. He'd be fed up, annoyed if he saw me going my own way, stepping outside my comfort zone, expanding my horizons into other areas of knowledge. For my father, being okay means staying within the established parameters, which in effect shows that he's abusive towards me. He keeps me trapped and at his mercy, but I'm tired of it. I feel I have the right to do as I please, not because of my age, but because I want a different path, I want to explore diverse interests, delve deeper into things. I'm tired of being confined by his rules, just as I'm tired of being confined by my friend's rules, of only focusing on work. We could be friends in that sphere, but I feel—and I have to admit it—that it's a form of coercion. He guides me solely through work, arbitrarily, out of fear of losing her. It makes me feel violated by her, all in the name of her safety, and I don't like that. There are no agreements or anything like that, of course. Making them would reveal her aggressive nature, which she applies to others, her tendency to lie and overwhelm them. It's unbelievable, but it was the only way she had of keeping me around. At the cost of violence, at the cost of that unspoken threat, which my boss imposed on me because I strayed from where he wanted me to be, because I was damaging his image, it's outrageous that he can somehow keep you where he wants you, without your permission. I feel like I'm being treated like an animal, and I'm tired of defending my friend because of it. In fact, I live, in a way, in perpetual conflict with her, and I make it clear to her, and at least she reacts, but not significantly. It's like pretending she can keep all the power she has, as long as she can't control it, and it makes me feel completely absorbed from my life. And I really don't think she understands this because of her thirst for power. I feel just as dominated as when I was with my boss.

I feel just as dominated as when he was around. I don't feel free to talk about what I want, to reach an agreement, or anything like that. Instead, I feel like I have to let this girl lead the way. I feel seemingly free, but I'm not. I feel trapped by this absence, limited to doing what I want because I don't know her terms. I always have to deduce them. Before, I felt a certain freedom with my boss, within the confines of the office, where I didn't allow him to go any further. But with this friend, it's a different game. I feel like I don't know where we're going, what my future holds, what will happen if I do one thing or another. I feel completely immobilized, all because of this whole thing with pursuing her, and of course, she's provoking me too. I don't know why I gave in to her, I don't know why I went to her. She turned out to be my escape from my boss, definitely, but now I'm in a worse place, where I feel like I can't think straight, can't do anything. I have to live at the mercy of focusing on someone else to forget about the whole thing, and it's just not fair. I feel like that's how she's kept me under control, while she goes around shouting that she's so important. I feel hurt, subjugated, and it makes me wonder, when will this nightmare of control end?

I didn't go out into the world to be dominated, not at all. But I feel like I'm exaggerating, like what I'm saying can't be true. How could I have fallen into the same trap as before? Everything was supposed to be different, but it wasn't. I feel like I'm saying something that can't be true, that I'm confused, I feel like I'm in a place, not better, but already outside of all imposition, but a feasible place, I feel like I'm in that, it just so happens that right now I have to do something else and it's hard for me to write. I feel fed up with the whole office thing. I want to leave it behind once and for all. What's done is done, and I feel like I need to move on. But somehow, I'm reacting to this inertia, this need to distance myself, to not be a part of it. Even though I'm on vacation, it's more about completely differentiating where I am from the office. Firstly, because here I end up talking about it, unlike there, which is the fundamental issue. And it's truly embarrassing because I feel like my ideas don't resonate there. They're not prepared for them because they don't know how to read or listen. They detach themselves from the discourse, they don't follow it. When they speak, they don't see the conversation; they try to detach themselves from it by taking preventative measures. It's regrettable, but I also find myself surrounded by people who are, in this sense, completely alienated from the present. What other discoveries will I make in the future? I've already seen so many flaws in that office... I can't even see them as having come from some school, because they don't seem to have come from there. They may know things, about gossip, about social games, but they don't know how to intellectualize in order to socialize and socialize in order to intellectualize, and that's precisely the purpose of school. They are not prepared to be in the country, it must be said now.

I'm fed up with talking about my boss. I've already talked about him far too much. I want to dedicate myself to other things, write about other things, do other things, not just write. My life isn't just about words, and in fact, I feel like they're picking up on my boredom elsewhere and trying to force me into it. I don't want to be involved with anything. There's a girl there too who doesn't care much about her appearance—well, they don't care about it, they just let themselves go, they smoke. I find them awful, a terrible influence, and I'm tired of terrible influences. I don't even want to go out anymore. I'm not interested in hanging around those areas anymore. I want to finally start talking in a way that I like, that I want to talk about. I want to try new experiences, but I don't know what else to do. I'm tired of analysis and analysis and analysis, of words, words, words, and more screens. I want to do something new, something that involves action. My friend isn't here; she's on vacation from the office. I'd like to experience sex, love, friendship, affection, and all that. I feel, in a way, like someone re-entering the world, renewed and capable of doing different things. I feel that this group I'm talking about could cause me problems, and in a way, it's somewhat appealing, but that's because I'm tired of being alone. In fact, I want to keep writing, as I always do. I write and write, but I don't want anyone to pull me out of this. It already happened once when I was going on a trip with someone, and they pulled me out. It was a girl who was in trouble, and I don't want any more trouble, I don't want any more troublemakers. And I can't keep acting like I'm the toughest guy like I always have. I need peace, tranquility, even though I sometimes feel like anything, anything at all, is a possible escape, and I feel like that's what's happening with my friend.

I feel like I'm writing my entire experience again, from beginning to end of these last few moments, but I have nothing else to do, I don't know where to turn. I feel like I should search online for information, but I'm also tired of constantly being informed. I feel tired of life itself, of my life, the way I live it. I feel like life in this society doesn't offer anything new to me, and I confess, I feel strangely about other people. I feel completely different from everyone. I have to admit, I feel like an exception, someone who has done within their family what they've also done outside. In that sense, I feel like a complete, established person, and I don't think anyone understands that. I feel like that group, in some way, sees me as a kind of father figure or something, and I'm tired of being everyone's father. I already have enough with my friend who's completely exhausting me. Damn, there were some really good books I saw, and I didn't pick them up, and they were taken. I feel like my feelings are completely different; it's as if I could be in the present, but I can't discern what I feel, and at the same time, I feel that it's a symmetry with my life, that I already feel I'm, somehow, above the culture, that at least I can see it, and that's why I say I'm on top, or at least from an angle that allows me to see it. I also confess that I feel saturated, overwhelmed, by many things. Regarding my boss, I feel that I'm somehow repulsive in every sense, that I make him feel that being with me is impossible, that I'm not good for him, that I don't like him, and that I don't tell him to his face, something to which he gives in, clumsily, he gives in, he has to, and that's his worst weakness. He defends himself with my friend, but not with me.

I feel like I'm writing down everything I'm managing to highlight that I think, that it's above what I feel, that it's like a kind of crust on my head, and that it makes me need new adventures, to be open. Those guys sound like an option, but I'm not convinced. I feel like the office is boring now; it's the same old thing. Well, it's only because of my friend that things are different. I feel like my friend isn't there; everything is boring, to be honest. Everything is so monotonous, so the same, so... I feel like I need her, I feel like I want her in my life, that my life isn't the same without her, that going back to how things were is boring, that being without her makes nothing feel alive anymore. With her, there was excitement, coordination, danger. I feel like what I've been doing for a while now is writing to get used to the time difference, but it feels radical. Wow, my boss is a total failure, I don't want him in my life and nobody does, he's unbearable, a person who lives by believing that because you know him, you're already tied to him, and it's a nuisance, the guy even thinks he's like a father to you and that's not the case, when the tragedies happened in my country I didn't even ask about him.

My boss is the kind of guy I don't want in my life, never will, and will never appreciate. In fact, I recently proved to him that all his efforts to "save" me had failed. I went on vacation without him even saying goodbye. There wasn't the slightest bit of empathy; everything between us had been destroyed, completely ruined. There's nothing left between us, and the worst part is that everyone supports him. He can't just get rid of me; he has to live with me and tolerate me. In short, it's the ultimate demoralization for any boss: when things don't go his way, when his interests aren't served. In fact, he's literally lost everything in our community. Nobody cares about him anymore; nobody's going to stand up for him. Everything he could do fell to pieces, and in the most humiliating way possible: by meddling in a relationship that wasn't his. Driven by his insecurities, he got involved in something that wasn't him, something he tried to destroy at all costs, all in an effort to protect himself from problems. This showed that his focus wasn't just on work, because there were things there too, but also on his social life. I did everything I could to ensure that his macho, dictatorial, and self-serving style became the cause of his own downfall, and to this day, it serves him no purpose whatsoever. He's an absolute failure in life. He has no image, no popularity, he doesn't even have a job; the one he has now is completely fictitious. He's ended up in my shoes, where I didn't know what to hold onto, just like he pretended to be with me and then tried to intervene by any means necessary, taking advantage of my disorientation to get rid of me. In other words, he wasn't interested in my life, even though he had promised that I would be his secretary. However, now I'm not interested in his either, I don't care, and I'm not going to do anything to save him from the consequences of others. Unlike him, my image doesn't depend on his, and I tried to prove otherwise.

Those shifts in rhetoric, those games of meddling in my affairs, that tendency to have a foothold in my own business at the expense of my own safety, is precisely what led to this downfall. I thought I was the one with the least defense because I wasn't clearly protected, but it was precisely in that imposition that the weaknesses were exposed, and where I could move about freely, because he also had no legal recourse, but I did. In principle, coexistence is a matter of duty and depends on each individual, not on a specific action. This guy thrives on marginalization and elitism, but that has changed. He doesn't know what he's doing, where he's going, or the price of his decisions; he's simply creating chaos in his environment, radically turning against himself, causing my friend, who was there before, to assume her role in a well-defined and thoughtful way. I retain my role, but now it's with her, not with my boss. Ironically, the fact that there is nothing defined for me doesn't mean he has to defend me more than give orders, but in that spirit there is nothing more than support for work in my boss and only for work, that is, for what makes him make products and only that.

how to not be sensitive? so i've just started my first job and it's been quite overwhelming to say the least. i find myself getting overly emotional whenever someone comments on my performance, and the inevitable critique comes in about my reports or presentations and it's like i'm being sliced open with a scalpel, very precise yet very painful. perhaps it's an indication of my inadequate coping mechanisms; nonetheless, i've endeavored to comprehend why precisely i'm letting this get under my skin to such an extent. it is said, in various management tomes that one should cultivate a resilience to workplace feedback, akin to developing a callous against friction but if only implementing this was as elementary as acknowledging its necessity.

feedback loops are integral to refining one's skills within any occupation but when 'constructive criticism' feels more like a personal affront than a professional recommendation, it's somewhat challenging to adjust one's perception accordingly. theoretically understanding that feedback is indispensable for professional growth does not necessarily equate to emotionally withstanding the impact of such evaluations which evidently strike at the very core of one's professional identity. research suggests adapting an analytical rather than an emotional response might facilitate improved outcomes yet there's an innate human tendency towards defensiveness when confronted with perceived imperfections. disseminating extensive articles from psychological publications on adaptive feedback reception hasn't ameliorated my response thus far; conversely, it seems convoluted jargon provides scant solace when facing real-time assessments.

moreover there's this juxtaposition within corporate culture promoting openness while inadvertently encouraging competition among colleagues creating paradoxical expectations that foster sensitivity rather than resolve it: whether through unspoken hierarchies or explicit directives urging you onwards toward unattainable excellence benchmarks that shift like the sands of time seemingly beyond grasping unless you're some prodigious wunderkind destined for leadership roles beyond the mortal realm. i'm cognizant that possessing delicate sensibilities isn't beneficial nor sustainable long-term yet determining effective strategies remains elusive much akin to chasing shadows - forever present yet perpetually elusive.

Frankly, I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of lunatics, people trying to impose their way of being on others, and whose coexistence is based on what others can do to each other, resorting to something more than just a survival instinct, which they themselves understand and, in fact, disregard, even suggesting that others do things their way, all in the name of exerting that same power. Good heavens, where is this? This isn't an office, not in a million years. It's a wretched, bloody jungle, because everyone is seeking dominance at any cost. They go beyond the limits they want, at the expense of doing nothing, justifying it under the guise of the collective. It's truly a horrifying thing, and that's why I was so concerned with eliminating it from the premises, with making that system disappear completely, immediately, drastically, leaving no trace. At least that's how it is with me. In no way should it be known that I have no support for that way of life. Instead, I will be focused on rejecting it definitively until it's clear that this way of life is not for me. They, in turn, interpret this as a sign that fate is on my side, because I know how to navigate their impositions, even in the midst of crises. I was never going to let them lay a hand on me, nor make them feel that I was one of them, in their way, outside the rules. I was going to abide by them and uphold them, even if that was all it took, and personally, I wasn't going to make it public, not in any way. I was simply going to act as I saw fit, since they don't understand the rules, they don't live by them, so I have nothing to discuss with them, absolutely nothing. I'm not going to waste my breath, from every point of view, on misguided, downtrodden people.

I feel completely disappointed that I entered this place, where I can't have a remotely normal, decent, human friendship, but instead I have to put up with my friend going her own way and me going mine, at the expense of a comfort I don't know where she got it from, where she prefers a stranger who doesn't know if he follows the law, to someone who actually pays attention to it. What on earth is this girl running from? I don't understand it personally, and I don't have to, nor should the authorities defend it. Simply trying to avoid causing a disturbance—a permit, protected by law, that I'm entitled to exercise—and being told no because it's disruptive—I mean, the exercise of the law is disruptive within the grounds, and even outside their jurisdiction—living at the expense of imposing normality, going beyond the confines of the grounds—that's something I couldn't allow, and believe me, I was harassed for it no matter what. What a hell, what a girl who emerged from these walls and doesn't uphold the spirit of the law. From every point of view, what kind of pigsty am I in? What kind of place is this? What kind of place is this that's accustomed to using anything to destroy others and do it according to the rules? I'm not here to do what they want, not at all. My sense of responsibility is barely challenged by such petty squabbles. What do these people want? To create a criminal? To make me someone with a gun who starts shooting indiscriminately? That's not my idea. Now, understand those rigid, profile-based schemes and that business of "repairing" the individual, all in the name of achieving their peace. What a shameful environment. How can I be a part of this? How can I allow myself to be a part of this? In a place where social control is desperately sought in one way or another.

I'm fed up, and I can't take it anymore. I have to leave this place. I feel I must. This place is not suitable for decent people, for good people, but for invasive people who try to ensnare you, where the only goal is to hide the flaws of someone who fosters criminals in the embrace of a tyrannical incongruity. What am I doing with these people? There's nothing more shameful than seeing people trying to trap me, to put me between a rock and a hard place, to force me to help them at work, at their expense, putting me between someone who betrays the group, playing the victim, pretending I don't like them, when I'm not there to like anyone, but to do my job and maintain a positive work environment. One thing doesn't imply the other. This was the excuse my friend used; she was social, but then she wasn't, of course. That excuse served her to be social in an imposing way, well, with others, really; it never happened with me. Seeing this guy, trained to weave emotional tangles, my boss specifically, made me realize that he didn't know anything about management, contrary to what he led me to believe. It was already strange that he wrote on shop windows rather than a whiteboard, to begin with.

There were many things my boss did that I didn't see clearly, that I didn't notice. Those abusive comments, those overbearing ones, letting me into his office just like that—all in an effort to camouflage his authority, to diminish it, doesn't reflect well on any boss. It hurts that my friend has blocked me; I can't talk to her, can't say anything to her. Besides, I wouldn't know what to say, not at all. I'd desperately try to fill the void, and that's not the point. The point isn't to ruin things. We're in an environment where being friends is dangerous, where sharing things can compromise us both because we're disruptive, because we won't know how to stand up for ourselves, because we'll try to show that we're not on our own, each of us doing our own thing. Such extreme caution we have to exercise—what a shame. They don't even respect birthdays; they don't consider whether or not to celebrate them. Their way of life in that office is one of disrespect for diversity, and they resort to normalization whenever they can. You have to protect yourself however you can; it's every man for himself. And you have to live with the consequences, especially when it affects the bureaucracy. The problem lies there: not everyone can adapt, and they try to undermine those who do, putting up barriers. What kind of savages are these? There are no protocols to rely on, nothing to complain about, nothing to take refuge on except the effects of forced coexistence, effects that should never be shown. They're not right in the head, not at all. It took me a long time to realize this. They'll hide behind anything to achieve dominance, anything at all. They don't respect boundaries; they don't know about them. It's impossible for them to conceive of such a thing.

They're monsters, for God's sake, they don't know what they're doing, they live at the mercy of prejudice. Personally, I want to run away from that office; I don't want anything more to do with them. I don't know why I have a friend who has blocked me, for God's sake. What kind of friendship is that? What kind of person am I with who treats me without even making a simple effort to do things right? Well, actually, if she does, she does it well; she makes a lot of effort, she knows how to move forward on autopilot, and she always tries to make sure I have a place in her life. I don't know what else I could expect from a relationship in that kind of environment, really. It seems more logical that a friendship would develop under conditions where, by no means, for God's sake, would it be anything like what you'd find in school. What's happening is sensible, perfectly logical, and pleasing. I can't deny the facts, I just can't. How annoying! Why did I never have normal friendships? Friends who respected me and gave me that hug. Why did I get stuck with a boss who was trying to curry favor with anyone in his path? Why did I have to deal with relationships like these? Why did I get stuck in an office like this? I should be in a much better place, with organization and equally organized, pleasant relationships, where there was a supportive collective, yet I ended up in the worst possible place. It's disgusting.

I don't feel comfortable, but at least the office has shown what it means to be a professional: someone who values ​​themselves, who is judicious, who embraces their work, and who doesn't use their position as an excuse to do things. That chaotic office environment was shattered because it was completely dysfunctional and bitter, because its attempts at maintaining order didn't produce any positive results. My insistence on fostering a positive work environment has paid off, and I'm happy about that. I don't know if any of them will realize what I did, what my example was, but the important thing is to have a safe place to be. I think I deserve it, I think everyone deserves it. My friend, with her social awkwardness, deserves it too. She has the right to be who she is, within the social implications, of course, but they shouldn't go so far as to fire her for it, because of prejudice, because of fear, because of the difficulties it might cause, which are meant to be resolved systematically. But I think that's what those authorities don't understand. What happened in the office was no small matter, and that's why I've dedicated so much time to writing about it, to assess what I did, to see what it consisted of, and whether it's possible to implement it more broadly, more effectively. And I believe I've achieved that: becoming an effective citizen, a citizen capable of living with diversity, of setting boundaries in accordance with the wishes of others, the people. While the law may not explicitly protect this, the idea is to provide what is needed. Doing so isn't some kind of Wild West gunslinger or anything like that, not at all. Rather, the law exists for coexistence, and my people certainly have the capacity for it based on the law, which is extremely rich, complex, and adaptable. But precisely because of that spirit, it's often difficult to apply because it requires an embrace for which the people aren't prepared, due to the subtle details they have to accept, details that aren't something they're used to.

I wasn't interested in saying anything, in any way, but rather that everything be seen through practice. Words are just words, it's practice that can include words and, at the same time, not, as well as confront the doubts of practice through practice itself. Because, let's be honest: understanding an action the first time is a matter of luck, for God's sake, but I don't think my boss understands a single word of what I say, and I don't expect him to ever do so. For him, it's about taking precautions, looking ahead, when it comes to taking risks carefully, by any means necessary, assuming the consequences, of course, doing something about them, allowing them to unfold within limits. However, I insist, my boss believes that reality must be one and only one, in order to be able to describe it, in order to establish that we are dealing with a pleasant situation and that he doesn't speak ill of him, that he doesn't denigrate his image, that he doesn't contribute to denigrating it with his words, because it is from his incapacity that... In the case of all of us who perform actions, speak, in order to sustain ourselves in the world, striving to do something with it that is accepted, that course of action in our lives, the risk, is something discarded because it wasn't prevented, immediate peace wasn't achieved, and that it's an impossibility, a contradiction, a matter of that spirit.

I feel completely disappointed in the highest authorities regarding the selection of my boss as coordinator of two departments, knowing beforehand, and it's been known for some time, that the individual becomes a disaster with bureaucracy, he shatters it, destroys it, he wants to be in it but it rejects him, because he lives by using it in his own way, so that he looks good, because procedural matters are a matter of suspicion, that something is going on, of course, in the bureaucracy that's how it's perceived, and he doesn't allow the construction of evidence, he doesn't want to allow people to be enriched by doubts, but rather lives by remaining silent at all costs. This is the clearest profile of a dictator, one who silences dissent by any means necessary, in order to keep others where he wants them, instead of allowing the progress of daily life, of seeking ways to express oneself and share one's life, to embrace one's place in society. However, this individual has lived only to be irresponsible. I don't know why these authorities chose such a person; it seems there was something else that led to his appointment, which I find utterly disappointing. It demonstrates that this arbitrary selection process is not being conducted judiciously, and it shows that the organization is not prioritizing professionalism, but rather a sad and blatant self-interest, making me question everything they do.

What deep regret I feel, what pain. The authorities are voiceless, because their whole lives they've been supporting this guy, tolerating him at all costs, letting him evade responsibility for his actions, doing nothing. Where were these authorities in the beginning? What were they thinking? What were they thinking that they didn't see where things were headed? They claim they're always watching out for everyone, but there are those who aren't watching and let him do whatever he wants, and since this is my boss, it makes you think that's what happens when you just let him be whatever he wants and expect everyone else to put up with it, just like that. This is an outrage. I've said this before, and I'll say it again now—not in what I've written so far, of course—my boss destroyed the trust we employees had in the authorities. He shattered it. He showed that they're only there to run away from what's happening down below. It was emphasized, stressed, that if the head of my friend's group had to resolve things, she should do so at all costs, because otherwise, her intervention would only be to escape responsibility, to shift blame, just like what happened at that party where they framed my boss. They made him look like he was trying to run away from everything, like some pathetic, miserable politician, turning everyone else against him. The authorities have certainly paid a heavy price for him, they've endured a lot, but that wasn't going to continue. Now, they're no longer allies, they're enemies. My boss has made even more enemies among those authorities, in addition to those in the community. While he still has the support of the highest authority in the community, that's something that can't be ignored. If the company's authority has resigned itself to this, it's reached its limit. Indeed, the situation has reached its breaking point; the rumors have been proven true.

The mere fact that my relationship with my friend was successful, and that he so blatantly obstructed it, despite the evidence being everywhere, shows that he's acting on his own, that he's a manipulator, that he wants everyone on his side to do whatever he wants. Those who rebel against him are simply accused and marginalized to avoid exposing his own terrible work. The guy at that party didn't know what he was doing there; he was just looking for a pathetic escape after already being questioned by everyone else. The company's top management, not the community's, acted in a clearly unprofessional manner, abandoning any methodical approach. Their actions were entirely at the mercy of others, without any ability to connect with them. They are the antithesis of any leader, the black sheep among the authorities. Fortunately, my friend's group accepted me because I always supported them. I never sought to oppose them; on the contrary, I personally witnessed their belittling and refused to be a part of it. They saw that I was different, clearly acting with respect and humility, making no demands beyond what was required. I acted on my own initiative, demonstrating loyalty to the group, protecting them, and without any bureaucratic obligations.

I don't know what I ended up in. I came here to work in an office, and that's the last thing I want to be in, first of all, because words mean absolutely nothing and everything is done according to the group's interests. I have absolutely no desire to be in that office, and I've tried every possible way to stay safe in that jungle—because I can't really call it an office. I feel utterly ashamed that I allowed myself to go there, but perhaps other places are more dangerous because the unions aren't as entrenched, there isn't the same protection elsewhere, and that's what my father intends. I see that he wants to put me in other places where he knows very well that my spirit won't be valued, thus ensuring that any waste is my doing and that I'm at his mercy, definitively, that there's no arbitrariness, that I'm at the mercy of his services and his regulations, seeking to control me. The man wants to eliminate my freedom at all costs because, as I am now, I'm slipping through his fingers. I hadn't realized that; every day his instruments for taming me become more malicious. I don't know what happened to my friend from the office, I don't know where she is, and I'm afraid of being without her there. With her, I felt safe because I feel she can protect me from my boss and the others, unlike the higher authorities, who can only be present to a certain extent. Her group can also protect me, thanks to the support I've given them, but I'm looking for ways to extend that protection beyond my boss's constant intrusion, his self-serving attitude, and the complete neglect he wants to subject me to. If I say anything, it will only cause me more problems, and I didn't want that. I had to open myself up to other means of protection within the office. My father doesn't understand a single word I'm saying; at least he grasps that my degree was useless. It's a disaster at the office. I even used my personal belongings to fool my boss into thinking I was on his side, when it was really just a smokescreen to get rid of him once and for all and let my friend take over the office. She managed to break up a group she'd been dominating for a long time, giving her a place within their group, a level of appreciation that the others couldn't outright reject; they had to submit and look for ways to escape. My friend feels like the queen of the place, just for managing someone without actually doing anything, and she keeps me around by not shattering that illusion. She keeps things the same, not giving much beyond the bare minimum, but her affection is unwavering, making our moments unique and incomparable. In the middle of the office, she's definitely become a substitute for all my other friendships, especially since she doesn't do that with just anyone. I feel trapped, in the clutches of my friend and her group, but it's the best I can do for now. I had to hand over my boss and be loyal to my friend at all costs, despite appearances. My safety came first, and I wasn't going to trust my boss's ability to provide it, since that wasn't his job. He was doing something based on a future promise that he wasn't even sure would be kept. With him, I felt like a pathetic object, a piece of equipment, or whatever—something he doesn't care about and trusts.

The guy abused my trust however he wanted; he didn't care. All he cares about is having the path, the route, to slide down wherever he wants. The guy was a monster, and for a long time now, he's been provoking me to write vulgarities, obscenities, insults, and other things. In that group, my boss's group, I couldn't communicate with an AI for emotional support; it terrified them. In fact, they humiliated him, creating instability in any way they could, making a scene. It was a group that simply operated from the premise that I didn't feel supported in my own life, but rather that they themselves, the directors, were the support. That's how they saw me; they saw me as someone to fulfill their ideals, desperately. I had never seen anything like it, and I never thought I would. It was monstrous. It was a group that wanted me subservient. Luckily, in the new group I'm in now, there's a bit more respect for me, my space, my life. They allow me to be the way I want, of course, also considering their needs, which is what has earned me a place. Treating my friend is something they find phenomenal, because none of them manage to treat her, and at the same time there is that commitment to her, and someone like that is needed in the group, who can give her some space, some companionship, so that she doesn't look alone; it was an issue they had pending.

My friend's group was in a really tough spot. That girl was literally on her own, and it certainly wasn't her intention. She didn't know what she was doing; she was erratic, trying to get ahead. I've heard that these groups—because it's a group of women—look for some kind of solution for that person, anything, as long as she doesn't fall behind. It's not pleasant to see one of them have her life ruined, especially when it's not her intention, especially when she's out of place, especially when it's a woman. Good heavens, unlike men, at least in the culture I'm in, that kind of thing isn't in the nature of women, because of their understanding. They accept me in that group with her because there's someone who's with her at all times, even though I'm not obligated to be there for any reason. They consider it a gift, a kind of present.

Despite everything, it's not something that's fully appreciated, at least not openly. The gift, the present in return, is that there's no complaint, and the deal is allowed to continue, to proceed. In fact, there's a different kind of treatment from my friend's group. I feel so bad for her; I didn't want her to go to hell, especially in an environment that was clearly going to take advantage of her sooner or later, and I couldn't allow that. My boss is that kind of person, and it had to be made clear to him, he had to be the one to make it clear, that those kinds of attitudes, under no circumstances, can be allowed, can happen, can occur, because otherwise there will be consequences, otherwise life is ruined, just like what happened to that guy. The idea that there won't be any surprises and that one is above the culture is a thing of the past, that's broken. The office hasn't yet transcended the entire world, and that's impossible, but they lived off that omnipotence they tried to salvage at all costs. But I don't believe that the people should live on lies, not at all. My boss has gone completely mad, insane, I mean, I don't feel like I can write very coherently right now. It's just that the AI ​​service is back up and running, which used to give me a certain degree of control, but now it doesn't, and I feel like I'm back to my old self, able to resort to chat whenever I want, for whatever reason, but there's this feeling that the whole thing might not survive at all, not in any way.

During that period with the AI ​​like this, broken, not giving me what I wanted, I tried to write and write and reached a point where I felt completely overwhelmed. Luckily, we're not officially working in the office anymore, although things are still pretty chaotic there. Good heavens, what a life with those people! I feel like I've learned to be a gorilla, clearly, having to outsmart even the best con artists just to be able to feel safe in that community. I feel respect and admiration from everyone, and that makes me very happy. I feel included and not left out, not allowed to be dragged into my boss's schemes, and that makes me feel safe. With my friend's group, plus the support of the surroundings, plus the secretary who also left, my boss has no power.

I was completely fed up with my boss, sick of him, I couldn't take it anymore. His inconsistencies overwhelmed me, and I did whatever it took to get away from him. I was sick of being unstable, and for so long, in that other place he left me, I was completely out of sorts. He sold me the illusion that everything was fine, at the cost of making the world a pleasant place for him, leading me into traps I had to jump over and over again. He told me he was the best, when he wasn't, and I made sure that story wasn't believable under any circumstances. He wasn't going to boast about my achievements like my father had, but that's not something he was interested in, and I wasn't interested in being like that. Every time I talked to him, it was a barrage of questions, doubts, without me being able to say anything. I kept escaping his attempts to control me. I no longer cared whether he understood or not; all I cared about was finally being at peace. If they weren't going to give me any peace, I had to find it. I wasn't going to allow myself to be unstable, and I no longer cared about his status or anything like that. It was something that was going to happen, period. He owed it to me, just like the position I have now, which I've also turned into his worst nightmare, because he doesn't count on me at all. I'm only there on behalf of the company; I'm an extension of it, and boy, do they want him there at all. He has to find a way to avoid ending up in a worse situation than he already is, but that always involves settling his debts, and more debts. It's incredible all the invasive and manipulative ways he's learned to manipulate appearances. Indeed, this man didn't dedicate himself to being an educator, as he claims, but to being a tyrant, exploiting others' resources, and having everything under his control. That era is over. It's time he pays society back for everything he's absorbed in such a radically parasitic way. We professionals have had to put up with his antics because of the good image he projects, which is nothing more than a despicable lie. I don't feel fortunate to encounter other people like him because there are established foundations, there's a sense of shame involved, something he completely ignores beyond making his political campaign look good. His campaign is nothing more than doing good; we have to put up with him, even though he has a good heart inside, but it's never there. Personally, I had to get rid of that guy. He was managing student admissions at a university, and that seemed like the last straw, since the future of the country rests in their hands, and I have to protect it. This man has spent his entire life manipulating people, and suddenly, just talking wasn't going to change him. Just like I did at the previous location, where he removed me because of problems, instead of focusing on the fact that the company wasn't fulfilling its obligations, he made me see that I was dealing with a politician through and through, someone I couldn't believe a word he said. I couldn't believe a single word he said. Therefore, I had to keep him under my control, since he wasn't going to leave just like that. Besides, leaving would be too easy. I need him to bear the price of his promises, to truly regret using them as a trick to trap people and keep them under his thumb, only to then run away without giving explanations.

When I arrived at the new facility, I was determined that he would finally change his attitude, because other people could pay the price, and he had no right to alter the course of their lives, abusing his fame and the bureaucracy he wielded, especially when they gave in to favors and affection, to that thing that was, in some way, what the other person was seeking in another. I had to teach him that this, precisely this, would be the cause of his worst nightmare, to the point where today, he can't leave the company, the community, except by leaving a terrible impression, something he manages to do even while staying, but at least he manages to smooth things over by licking the boots of the authorities, who liked him that way, precisely because he lived off them, doing whatever he wanted, based on nothing but excuses. He was an elusive individual who had to be apprehended, and the community itself could act as his prison to compensate him for all the damage he had caused, for the rest of his life. This community is a university, and that institution certainly establishes the professionals who drive the nation, those who provide service and contribute to its development. In other words, this individual was destroying the institution itself, turning the work of its professionals into something bitter and destructive, all for the sake of an institution and not in accordance with the needs of the people. He was creating a micro-state, and the truth is, it's not that everything is done at the expense of his reputation, using the institution's name as an excuse, when it is precisely his reputation that should prevail, since he made a commitment to it. His service to society was overshadowed; he was creating a sham university, a university where everything functions solely to maintain an image and conceal what is happening inside.

The guy was a real bastard. He had that promise he made to me, which, by the way, he kept, and under the guise of not owing me anything afterward, I joined another group, one he absolutely hated, one that infuriated him, that irritated him, and that now has him groveling at his feet, because otherwise there are conflicts, and that's what he doesn't want. It's everywhere, meaning there's a chance of conflict everywhere, and they'll take advantage of the fact that he doesn't know what to do, because everything he knew turned out to be a complete failure in terms of keeping me under control, in the area that was supposed to be the easiest of all. All the other areas, to the extent that they seem harmless, are just as dangerous; you can smell it coming from him. The days of easy money are over. Those days when he lived off others are over. It's time he pays us all back for what he's done to us. We won't let this go unpunished. He needs to face the music, at least face us in a way that pleases us, and that will continue until the end of his life. His entire career in the community has been completely destroyed, shattered. He's utterly worthless to any company or for achieving anything. The rumors, based on solid evidence, are widespread. If he wants to remain with the community, it has to be on the condition that he pleases us. Otherwise, he should leave, but not without consequences, which are already upon us. His life doesn't interest me, just as he wasn't interested in mine, and he tried to do the opposite. I'm more than transparent, and unlike him, I'm one of those people who speaks very, very little. I'm more about action and concrete results, the opposite of his talkativeness and extravagance, which he thought made him invisible. But it was nothing more than a veil behind which he fancied that I was on a different wavelength, since I was taking advantage of the gaps he saw he wasn't filling in his imposed world. If anyone here is innocent, knowing it, it's me. It took me a long time to catch him, and I finally did, and that's something that doesn't happen very often, so I feel lucky to have been born, very grateful, because, generally, these kinds of people get away with it. I already feel like I've got my life back, just like it was before, surrounded by good groups of people who appreciate me, who love me, and with whom I've earned my place through hard work—something he considered worthless, something of value. His attitude was the exact opposite; he was a miserable wretch whom no one could tolerate anymore and whom no one could publicly denounce. For a long time, he believed he knew how to manipulate things, taking advantage of his apparent innocence and those seemingly casual comments, but he wasn't the only one, and he thought that in some way, people would look at him and not me.

so i'm in this situation atm where my boss keeps askin me to work extra hours and it's like, all the time... i mean, don't get me wrong, i love what i do but it's startin to feel a bit too much. like, he doesn't even pay me for these extra hours and it's getting under my skin. the worst part is that he's always saying if i don't show up on weekends or during my days off, he'll fire me. 😕

it's a tough spot to be in cuz i really need this job. i've been trying to figure out how to handle this without making waves you know? there's gotta be a way to bring it up with him without sounding ungrateful or somethin. maybe if i approach him with solid points or examples of how much i've been putting in already, he might understand... but then again not sure if he'll even care.

i remember this one time when we had a big project due and he made half the team come in on saturday (no questions asked). it felt like there was no choice, which kinda sucks because everyone deserves some downtime! plus working under pressure all the time isn't healthy for anyone but when you're cornered like this what can you do...

still tryin to keep my head high though! i'm hopin eventually he'll see how dedicated we all are and maybe give us a break sometimes? 🤞 just want things to get better so we can all work happily without being stressed about our job security every weekend.

Fed up with my boss's drama, I transferred to another group thanks to my friend's persistence in pursuing our relationship. I absolutely didn't want to go with her, but her unwavering commitment made it impossible. Sometimes, I admit, I don't know if it was her or me who insisted. Undoubtedly, she was the one who initially insisted on our relationship, on being friends, on being together, on experiencing something emotional, on letting go of formalities while still respecting the rules, always safeguarding each other's personal space. She wanted me by her side, as did her boss, even though she tried to take over, no matter what, but it came across as a clumsy attempt to reach me, which I viewed with prejudice. Regarding my boss, he tried to get me to give in because of his charm, that initial thing, only to then fall into the trap of being at the mercy of his carelessness, of course, so that I could do whatever I wanted, which he allowed, and from there he could come up with any excuse through gossip and one made through that of isolating himself from all context, from all talk, for his own benefit. I joined my friend's group, partly because she was worried about who they were hanging out with. My boss was manipulating me to keep me around, and his secretary was acting all high and mighty, portraying me as quiet and withdrawn. They claimed I was isolated because they kept me isolated, which is why they used the excuse that I was autistic. However, this became clear as I got closer to my friend. It wasn't typical of those people to be persistent in a relationship, no matter what. Instead, they expected me to be obedient to what others said, always dependent on someone to guide me. This didn't work, and I specifically tried to undermine that, to change how I was perceived now. Hearing that about me bothered me, but the struggle would only expose that my insistence on following the law was just an excuse for me to do whatever I wanted, to refuse to compromise like the others, to be seen as a rebel, and for things like that to disrupt the established order. They waited for me to lose my temper, and in fact, that's what they were hoping for, but they never succeeded. Instead, they just kept sinking, and what happened with my friend became their own personal hell. My boss tried everything to accuse me of being out of my mind because of my persistence with the girl, outside of social media. He knew I was straying from where he wanted me to be, but that's exactly what we wanted, because she knew I could stand up to him, that I wouldn't let him tarnish my image in any way, that I wouldn't sacrifice myself for him, and she was certainly willing to help me. She's one of those girls who, when she sees a potential partner, someone she can be with, someone to share her feelings with, she doesn't let him go. Since my boss couldn't accuse me of being crazy, he tried to make me take my anger out on her, but he didn't succeed either, because she was careful. I wanted to have control of the situation once and for all, but I had no way to do it, and tragedy struck when causality intervened, arbitrariness hit, and I took advantage of the situation to get out of it, through his desperate imposition, making it seem that he was definitely the unfortunate one, because it was precisely during a health issue of hers that he told me not to participate, and from then on I isolated him, of course, not without first creating the right conditions for it, where it would be justified precisely thanks to his pleas, where his own way of being with others would seem suspicious, something he took advantage of with his secretary to make accusations that I was acting like an authority figure, that I was laughing at him, that I was actually trying to impose my will on me, in that way making it seem like I was playing games, that I really wanted to be with them, that my denunciation to the others, his suspicion, would lead him to think that I was exaggerating, because I had come to believe myself superior, given that they sought to put me on a pedestal so that I would forget about the girl, however, no They didn't succeed, but instead encountered tantrums they weren't expecting and help that was no longer available. They encountered my complete absence, which confirmed what everyone feared: that they were conspiring to keep me where they wanted me.

They aren't very skilled at manipulation; for street life, I thought things would be even more complicated. In fact, they made me feel like I was in a playground with them, that they didn't really take it seriously. Of course, with other people, they have a moment of seriousness, something that confirms who they are, but I forgot about that a long time ago. Their biggest mistake in all of this was making me think that, deep down, I somehow thought like them, but it was just a facade they were going by, since I was living by following it, by being consistent.

Things at the office are a complete mess after what happened with my boss. People felt an absolute and radical distrust of management in general; they became incredibly nervous, to the point where they made insinuations that people were abandoning them, and indeed, that was the case. The arbitrary decisions I've heard have been completely blatant, always based on the idea that they are to blame. They've given me special treatment, of course, out of respect for authority, which is what makes me trust some bosses, but I can't ignore the fact that the atmosphere is one of absolute victimhood. In that meeting where this was evident, my boss needed absolute validation, a need to be acknowledged, to be helped, to be saved from the consequences of his actions, but people simply rebelled against him, to the point that he used a meeting elsewhere as an excuse to leave. He was, in fact, at that propaganda party. At least, that's what he radically revealed. His justifications made it clear that his claims about how he's always been were more than just attempts to hide his true intentions. The image he projected was of escaping the consequences of his actions through others, through whatever means necessary. Indeed, the man already knows he's not someone others trust, but with her, what he's really after is playing the victim with those who benefit him. The reaction of the others was to make him see that he was the one exaggerating, and in doing so, to stop supporting her, for her own good, for her health, so that she'd come down to earth, and to stop supporting him.

My friend was the one who clearly distanced herself from him. She was very accommodating at that party, very supportive. It's obvious she's someone who can support her work group, but she always reminds them, in some way, that she's on her own, that I belong to her and not someone else, that she's the one who got me, that it wasn't her effort, that's why she was pursued and things could have ended much worse. Indeed, I am in her group, but as the link through her, I make sure they respect that I belong to her and not to them, and that if I'm there it's because she wants me to be, because she likes me to be in a good group, and that I should be treated well. In fact, when the girl sees someone who can handle their emotions, who wants to manage them carefully, as if with the hands of a surgeon, she doesn't think twice, especially in a world where expressing feelings is a game of appearances, specifically, where she always has to act like an adult when she doesn't like it, she doesn't feel free to be herself. But with me, she does, but it's at the expense of my concern for her well-being, due to my own selfishness in not wanting to exclude people like her because of the prejudice I might instill, under the guise of wanting to help them get ahead, to make this a better world. Although, I must say, it's also about not showing that I'm a resentful person, as is the case with many people today. Indeed, I had to do such reading, and it was because of it that I couldn't rest as I can now.

Working with my boss, being somehow involved with him, meant confronting a possessive individual. He insisted that mental health only applied to the department and that everything else was merely optional. He even told me how to treat people, under the guise of helping me find my way, being a good person or something, all for his own benefit. He would find any excuse to make a friend of mine think I was a monster for continuing to see her, despite his repressive tactics to distance myself from him. I realized I was a monster because I didn't listen to him, because I didn't follow his control, and that I was going to harm others. God, what a sick man! And I'm glad that even after the tragedies in my country, I didn't ask about him, about his life, as if to make it clear to others that I wasn't with him, because there was no way he could understand that I wasn't. He would put his head on my shoulder as if I were his friend, buy me things to get me to give in, try to find out things about my life, want to change how I manage my family—in short, he wanted to interfere in everything, but I wouldn't let him. His constant threat was that if I didn't give in to his attempts to improve my situation, then I wasn't taking advice to get better and was therefore trying to harm others, my relationships with them, that he wasn't trying to make things right for everyone, but rather being guided by prejudice. Therefore, I always tried to corner him, to make it clear that he was trying to interfere in my life, no matter what. It's not pleasant to be with someone who's always trying to keep you under their control. In fact, he had the Secretary under his thumb, in the sense that he always made her bear his emotions and stress, but it could never be the other way around, unless it put him at risk. He was an extremely selfish individual, from whom the world desperately sought to escape, using any excuse. He was a man who thrived on normalizing his own will, even making it seem comical, subjecting one to his world of denials, always striving to dictate one's feelings toward him. He sought to confuse one, guided by the ambiguity of feelings regarding what he provoked, thus establishing the situation that one was with him, that one felt something for him, whatever the case may be. Of course, all this came at the cost of a range of stress that he didn't try to resolve, but rather burdened. His interactions with others consisted of pretending to know them in order to corner them, using their name to impose the truth about their relationship, resorting to talk of betrayals, disappointments, etc., all based on deception.

The man was completely unwell, and to top it all off, he was the boss. The man, as my friend rightly said, knew exactly what he was doing, because he was always positioning himself. He sought to preserve his group through extreme tolerance, so that others would understand that this is what a group is about: flaws but also virtues, all while making it seem as if the situation were normal. His way of acting in the world was to claim that he lived among these things and that he was tolerant, so that others would agree with him, however they might be, and also become supporters of exerting pressure, but from the outside, in support of him. The man was a monster, and I never saw him at his worst. The only time he tried—and it wasn't a serious attempt—he faced being humiliated everywhere in a medical or healthcare setting, precisely what he didn't want, and he completely destroyed his reputation. He begged me to stay with him, going from talking to making it a public matter, trying to increase the pressure by trying to get me to give in through his games, which I didn't find funny at all, but which he tried to make funny to elicit empathy from others and coerce them into isolating me with him. But my lack of laughter, instead of my well-expressed anger, made it clear that they were out of line. In fact, it was understood in the office that they were trying to mistreat me. What finally broke the camel's back, the tragedy of my country, was when he once tried to prevent me from going to the office alone, when they weren't there. He made this up as a pretext, without any ulterior motive, simply because others weren't going—nothing binding. However, I pointed this out as a reason for suspicion, because I could have gone alone to do some work. It was clear that he was on his own and from then on, all he observed was an effort to try to prevent more conflicts, whatever it took, to prevent more things from exploding, because many were ready to explode, because many were already resentful.

Many of us were fed up with him and wanted him out of the picture so we could live our lives as we pleased, a right we had firmly established. He wasn't interested in following the rules; instead, he used them as an excuse to do whatever he wanted and make himself look good, at the expense of others, no matter what. He even manipulated reality for this purpose, his sole aim being to instill fear of escaping his clutches. This led to truly painful and intense experiences, because people, like me, reached the point of desperately trying to get out of there, by any means necessary, since he wouldn't let them be free. Knowing him was like making a real misfortune. Luckily, even his secretary is no longer with him, not at all. She had been wanting to leave for a long time, just like me. I was his inspiration for abandoning him, leaving him without support, under the pretext of the tragedy. The tragedy in my country served as an excuse to leave him, to make it seem like that man hadn't earned a single penny. Perhaps the other authorities questioned this, but not him, because after my warning, his name was flagged. After the tragedy, amidst the destruction, he searched online for support at the office, using ambiguous messages, voicemails, and the classic "how are you?" My first reaction was to stick to what the general coordination had said, as an excuse to stay put, to avoid his messages, to make it seem like I was always busy, and also to force him to take responsibility. He expected me to close the line, to not respond, applauding the idea that I would leave him on read, a last-minute betrayal. But he didn't find that; instead, he received my last-minute notification that I was unavailable. I always suspected him, and everything I said was always in the interest of anything he might say about me that could cast doubt on him. It must be acknowledged that under different circumstances and with a different person, I would surely have resorted to more drastic measures with him, and I knew this firsthand because whenever I pointed out something that might suggest something very wrong, he would get scared. He is subtle in establishing his boundaries, occupying spaces in a non-scandalous way that others feel he shouldn't, giving the impression that something is out of place, but nothing is actually said. In fact, it's worse to report him because it's something that can be temporarily abandoned, but he takes advantage of this to lower morale and keep people at the mercy of conflict, thus controlling them at the whim of what he says, supposedly to prevent it. He always lives with the desire for absolute control.

My effort with him was to destroy him from where he found the most protection: the office. It was from there that he took control and did whatever he wanted with other people. His reputation stemmed from the fear of jeopardizing others' futures, something he would never have done himself, but he exploited that prejudice.

I'm starting to feel like I am caught in this never-ending cycle of work, with little to no respite. It has been two whole years since I last took any meaningful time off. The only break I've allowed myself was a brief pause during Christmas spent with my family. Honestly, considering the pace and pressure of my current workload, it's beginning to weigh me down more than I'd like to admit. It's tough… I mean, in an ever-evolving industry where there are constant demands and deadlines, pressing pause even for a short time seems almost impossible. Yet here I am, craving just a moment to step back and breathe without the looming stress of what's next.

The thing is, while I understand the necessity and benefits of taking periodic breaks ( both for mental relief and productivity) it's not as easy as it sounds to simply take days off. Unfortunately for someone like me who's in a high-stakes position within their organization, it's challenging. There's this nagging fear that everything might just spiral out of control when I'm not present or that I might be perceived as less committed if I were to express the need for a break too often. So here I am weighing these thoughts over late-night coffee, pondering whether it's worth pushing through these cycles or finally prioritizing my own well-being before burnout truly hits me.

How can I stop feeling insecure in those big meetings with a roomful of older men? It's infuriating when they don't bother to listen to my ideas, even though I know my stuff. I'm 32, a woman in this male-dominated industry, and it's always the same story: heads nodding politely but ignoring me! The energy in these meetings feels so off-balance sometimes... maybe it's because I find myself second-guessing everything I say?

I'm not the only one who's felt sidelined at work, right?! There's got to be a way to make my voice heard without resorting to shouting or making a scene. Confidence is key... they say. But how do you maintain it when you're navigating such toxic waters? It's like walking on eggshells every damn day.

This isn't just about me trying to "fit in." How can we have productive meetings if forward-thinking ideas are dismissed just because they come from someone who doesn't fit their mold? Frustration grows and productivity wanes. What's it going to take for these guys to finally sit up and take notice?

I've been outperforming some of these men by leaps and bounds! Yet the doubt creeps in whenever I'm expected to present something crucial. It's not fair! I want solid feedback on my proposals!! not condescension or dismissal.

I won't let this intimidate me forever! There's hope yet... I'm determined to find strategies that empower and bolster my confidence despite this perpetual obstacle course. So here it is: how do you stay secure in your skin when everyone around you seems intent on undermining your authority?