Height of meanness

If there is an adult-adult relationship between the Dean and staff members, there is not much possibility of strained situations and unhappiness, But most of the Deans assume a superior approach, and the relationship becomes parent-child. (This refers to transactional analysis) If the Dean will be a good parent, I would not mind it at all. But if the Dean behaves like a step parent, I mind it very much, This Dean was a step parent, and quite a mean one, There are many stories of her meanness. I will tell you a short one. It was the day of floods in the city, 26th July 2005. She had called a meeting of some staff members at 3.00 p.m., but true to her style and efficiency, she started the meeting at 4.00 P.M. The city was already flooded, but most of us did not know the true enormity of the calamity. Many had left for the day. Those in the meeting kept waiting for her to end the meeting, so that they could go home. She just wouldn't. She knew the nature of the situation outside, because as Dean of our hospital, she had constant contact with the control room, being responsible for managing health aspects of disaster in the drainage area of the hospital, The audience knew she knew, because she kept calling her husband on his mobile, urging him to reach home at the earliest, advising him of the situation, and guiding him of safer route home, Those in the audience (members in the meeting) had family members to worry about, and had to go. This mean step parent kept them there till 6.00 P.M. and then said, “Ok, Go!'' There was no way they could have gone home, Roads were closed by floods. Trains had stopped. People were being washed away and dying, she conveniently forgot to mention this. She did not say, “Don’t go out, stay in the hospital”. One of my female colleague, an Associate professor, oblivious of the havoc outside, decided to go home, Her son was hopefully home, probably alone. On her way, she met the Dean, who was going to the canteen with the usual crowd of ass-lickers. The Dean asked her, “What are you doing?” “I am going home”, she said. “Where is your home?" the Dean asked. ''Malad'; she said (which is about half an hour’s drive when the roads are clear). "OK!'' grinned the Dean all over her face. "If you reach home, tell me also the route you find easy'! thy colleague left in her car, which she had to abandon on the highway, submerged 2/3 in water. Then she had to walk a few kilometers in chin-deep water, on dark roads, afraid of many things a lone woman can be afraid of at night on a dark road. She managed to reach a friend's home past midnight. Her son was OK at home, she learnt using someone's phone which wasn't dead, quite miraculously. She told us this story when roads opened and we met at the hospital two days later. The emotions on her face made us feel what she must have felt going through all this. The mean woman in the Dean's chair continued to sit on her throne like a queen, unharmed, unaffected, remorseless. God must have been watching, and if He did not choose to punish that woman, He must have a strong reason to do so, just as He must have had strong reasons to make her Dean of our hospital, instead of someone worthy of the post, someone who would do something good for the institute, instead of mentally torturing people under one's power, and sending some of them out to suffer, perhaps die, without any qualms.