Once Upon a Time There Were Places Called ‘Offices’

Is the Pandemic Making You a Mite Misanthropic? Like You're at the Edges of Unfriendly?  That's Doomsday for Me, As I'm in Public Relations!

  Thomas J. Madden, Chairman and CEO, Transmedia Group

Hopefully, this prolonged pandemic won’t have permanent consequences or lasting effect as I don’t think social distancing, wearing masks and staying home is making us a friendlier people. 

I see these couples walking on the beach straight towards us at the water’s edge.  They’re coming dangerously close until Rita and I have to turn onto the hot sand to walk a safe distance around them.  Do they notice our burning feet?  Do they thank us for going out of their way?   No!

If there’s a positive side to staying away from everyone, it’s working remotely.  It’s certainly been good for Netflix and the tech sector.

In a weird way, we’re sort of enjoying staying in an uninterrupted remote state at home, which allows us to concentrate for long periods that was never possible at our busy, interruptive workplaces.  

I believe they’re still called offices.

Now at home we can delve instead of shelve.  We stay assiduously on the hunt for meaning, for solutions and new business like never before.  

But are we becoming screwy or worse, Scroogy, like little Ebenezers modeling ourselves after that fictional character from A Christmas Carol.

Sometimes I’d like to give scrooges the Dickens, which has nothing to do with the author Charles.  

Misanthropy is defined as a general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. 

Misanthropy may be motivated by feelings of isolation or social alienation, or simply contempt for the prevailing characteristics of humanity, today all in hiding from, running away from and social distancing ourselves from other humans suspected of being carriers of COVID-19.

When considered through the lens of an anxiety disorder, misanthropy hopefully becomes an entirely treatable condition. Using cognitive behavior therapy, the individual can learn techniques to change their behavior or thought pattern to be more rational, positive, or productive.  

By most accounts the philosopher Nietzsche was something of a misanthrope, and his biography recounts a litany of failed friendships and long periods of loneliness. individualism and as he takes to calling himself a free spirit.  

Other suspected misanthropes were the writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, known to have said “Hell is other people.”

Author Franz Kafka also was thought to be one and so was the well-known English writer and author Oscar Wild, who was known to have made this charming assessment.

“Other people are quite dreadful.  The only possible society is oneself.”

Oh well, let’s stay safe and keep our distance from one another. Maybe one day we’ll all embrace and shake hands again, if we can remember how to do it.  

Meanwhile, don’t come near me until the pandemic is over.  

And btw, who does your public relations?  Thanks to the Internet, I can still do it for you without coming close or touching you.