Or, the alternative title: “I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.”
(For an extra 5 points, name the movie reference. Answer below.*)
I want to help my community. I work hard to do so. I volunteer my time, I donate money, and I even pay babysitters so I can attend meetings in order to volunteer — did I mention that part? — to help my community.
Let me emphasize, this IS my community. It’s where I live and where my kids go to school. So it matters to me. A lot.
But now, after attending one of these community meetings, trying to help, trying to see if the power of the larger community can help our school’s community, I have been personally attacked via email. It was an ugly thing to see in my inbox, full of outright lies and implied evil on my part. And of course half the world was cc’d.
It made me sick to my stomach.
Call me a newbie, a baby, go ahead, but this was my first time and it sucked. Pardon my language, but there’s really no better word for it. This person is a bully and has figured out how to get a response out of people: he attacks until you comply or leave. So I did both. I ultimately answered his email, which originally contained a question, and now I have dropped off the committee, because I will tell you this that you already know: life is too short.
This person who sent this garbage says he wants to help people, but his actions have pushed so many people away from doing the actual work of helping people, it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s so wrong it makes me want to explode! Oh My God, so frustrating!!!
Well, I
wasted spent a few days of my life feeling angry about the situation, and then realized I just needed to move on. I struggled with it for sure, but looked, as I often do, to the movies for guidance, and remembered a favorite line from a not-so-favorite movie, Singles:
“This negative energy just makes me Stronger.”
Rock on.
(*Answer: Apocalypse Now.)
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.
