Making the Effort to Make Less Effort

24 Sep 07

What I am about to say is related to the previous piece, but was inspired by something else – namely my desire to make a point about being told, in my present place of employment, that despite being on flexi-(of a sort)-time, I should cover the office until 5pm when my boss-type-person is away… the point I desire to make being that this unwritten rule is… unwritten! It is not (and I have scoured it with the proverbial Comb of Fine Teeth, so I know) in my contract!

But how, when the crux of one’s principles is, at least in part, about having an easy life, does one make a point about such a thing? Making a point – standing up for one’s principles – has a tendency to take some degree of effort… at least an effort of will. So how does one make the effort to stand up for a principle which is about making less effort? Tiz a quandary, for sure! Especially considering that, in the aforementioned case, if I did simply acquiesce and agree to cover for my sort-of-boss until 5pm, I wouldn’t have to actually do any extra work or hours, and, although I generally prefer to escape from the office as soon as possible, it would mean that I could arrive for work later and therefore have a little bit of extra time in bed. So really, principles aside, on the whole, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. And it would only be for about four weeks in a year.

Hmm, I think I may have answered my own question…