Social Short Story – Old Man in the office
Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
Sustainable development:
It is described as a way for people to use resources without the resources running out in the future. These resources are not merely raw materials, but include cultural and heritage components which are an integral part of local community. However, sometimes the latter aspects are diluted and eventually lost during a development process because, unlike raw material resources, some cultural and heritage components are simply intangible and cannot be priced or assessed.
Offices and employees:
It is described that people working in offices have relations unbreakable at any time. Old people in the offices are treated by young in the offices as their old members in their families. These relations are not just raw materials, but work as strong cultural and heritage bondages. However, during the time process, these relations may be strained, but not forever.
Better days ahead:
We see some old people on the waters of remote rivers. It is clearly reflected in the smile of these old men for the rivers has provided the essentials to live on. The rivers contribute greatly to the locals to live happily. The development may be nothing, but they believe that better days are ahead and they wait for the arrival. That is the belief and that belief is the reason for the smile reflects in their faces with contentment.
Truth – As the old fall, the young flourish:
The human life cycle is similar to that of a tree. When a mother tree falls, it makes space and provides nutrients for its seedlings to grow, the same way a mother provides a nurturing environment for her child to grow up and become successful. Nurturing a green generation begins at home, later growing into an environmentally-conscious community. Offices are also not less in this process. An Old Man in the office is like an old mother tree that is about to fall and to provide nutrients for its seedlings to grow.
Mathew is the old man in the office:
Mathew is the old man in the office. Whatever the young people need to clear their doubts, they go to Mathew and ask as a son asks his father. Mathew explains them everything with clear and transparent way. They feel that Mathew is their master.
Manager Morris is a young man who dislikes Mathew:
Mathew is the real stuff and his value is known to everyone. So manger Morris is unable to say anything about Mathew. Moreover Mathew is about to retire soon, so he will not care anything if the manager says anything against him.
What happened one day?
Mathew is old, you know. Yet he tries to reach office soon, before every one is in their chairs. One day, Mathew’s car troubled. He left the car with the mechanic and reached office in a cab when everybody is in their chairs and working seriously.
Everybody wanted to ask him what happened? But it is not acceptable to the cat-faced manager Morris. So they kept quiet.
Mathew went in to Manager’s room, took a piece of paper and wrote a leave letter and gave it to Morris. Manager Morris read the letter like a cat in the chair preparing to eat the rat.
“Is it real that your car troubled you?” Morris questioned.
Morris is around thirty and he is in black suit. His goggles dropped a little on his nose. His eyes peeped in to Mathew’s.
Mathew did not answer. He looked at him as if asking him that is it enough or not.
Morris read the letter once again and looked again in to Mathew, the old rat.
“Why you did not check up your car before starting to office? Do you know your place in office is lot more valuable?” Morris asked.
Mathew took the leave letter from the hands of Morris, tore it into few pieces and dropped in the dustbin.
“I know. I sit in my seat.” Mathew said and went away without waiting for the answer from Morris.
Morris is hurt like a cat that has lost a fat old rat. But he smiled and said, “You are smart.”
Morris was under pressure:
What happened between Mathew and Morris was exposed by Morris by himself. He wanted to get some sympathy from the staff.
“I like him as he is ideal employee here. I don’t take small things like coming late to office as serious issues.” Morris said in staff meeting.
New Trend:
Staff took manager’s words in wrong way. They started coming to office lately. Manager Morris was unhappy and he called Mathew in to his office room to say some solution for this.
Mathew smiled.
“Call the meeting say that an old man like Mathew is coming to office in time and doing his job properly, so I want to recommend people like him for promotion and increments.” He said.
Old Man in office is ideal:
Manager called urgent staff meeting on the same day and arranged good food and coffee for them.
“I am happy to say that Mathew is an ideal man in our office. Though he is an old man, he is coming in time and doing his job properly. Please take him as ideal. Those who walk in his foot- prints are eligible for timely increments and promotions. Please get benefited from our ideal old man in our office.” Manager Morris said.
Conclusion:
It is a happy office. The Old Man in the office is retired, but his memories are yet lingering there.
_END_
