Very few people are well wishers, some are neutral, and all the remaining are ill wishers. The ill wishers are of two types – sometime-ill-wishers and all-time-ill-wishers. The former wish someone ill only sometimes, and are neutral at other times. The latter hate that someone so much that they wish that person ill at all times. If wishes could kill, the earth would soon be extinct of all human beings.
I have my quota of ill-wishers, like everyone else.
There was one Professor who was junior to me, but probably wished otherwise. She would pump me to get ill comments on that time Head of the Department, and would go tell tales to create trouble for me. Fortunately I could read character and was wise to these moves. That could reduce trouble from the Head of the Department, but not the bad feeling coming from ill wishes. I recall the time when I was getting fever for quite some time. I kept working, because there was no one else in my unit to work in my absence. Initially the tests were all negative, though it used to respond to antimalarials, only to recur. One day this Professor came along and asked me how I was. I told her how I was.
“If all tests are negative, there is only HIV infection left” she said in a voice full of hope.”
“No. It is resistant vivax and falciparum malaria” I said, having just received the report from an advanced lab.
“Uh…” she said. I was upset at the unhappiness on her face at that news. No one should wish HIV infection on another, even if doctors are known to get it through contact with patients’ blood!
There was another all-time-ill-wisher, a Professor who was also head of her department. Our dislike for each other was mutual. But the comparison ended there. She hated me, while I pitied her for her incompetence, megalomania, and a few other traits. That day we were in a meeting with the Dean.
“What happened to your hand” the Dean asked me, looking at band-aids on two of my knuckles.
“I had minor injuries while cleaning our domestic flour mill” I said.
“You had tendon injuries too?” this ill-wisher Professor asked, her voice dripping with hope and happiness.
“No, just abrasions” I said. I actually wanted to say ‘Unfortunately no, you idiot. Tendon injuries are not managed by application of band-aids” But I refrained. I could not lower myself to her level. But the ill wish was upsetting anyway.
Then there was that Associate Professor, who was a weird ill-wisher. She wished ill for all critical patients I operated. If there was any untoward event in her opinion, she would come forward gleefully, with an evil glint in her eyes and point out what she believed was wrong with what I had done. When I explained what had been done, and that there was not the complication she thought was there, she would go away crestfallen. This happens quite periodically, but she does not mend her ways.
I have not done anything to these three persons. I have not wished them ill because I understand my negative thoughts about others would hurt me too. Luckily one of them left for greener (!) pastures, while another retired before they increased the retirement age by four years. I tolerate the third one somehow. I have tried to analyze why they wish me (and others too) ill. I have found a common factor. Two of them lost their husbands, while the third failed to find one. I don’t know if this is statistically significant. I am trying to learn statistics better. I hope the sample size is OK, because I just cannot stand to have more studies done in this regard. :-)
I have my quota of ill-wishers, like everyone else.
There was one Professor who was junior to me, but probably wished otherwise. She would pump me to get ill comments on that time Head of the Department, and would go tell tales to create trouble for me. Fortunately I could read character and was wise to these moves. That could reduce trouble from the Head of the Department, but not the bad feeling coming from ill wishes. I recall the time when I was getting fever for quite some time. I kept working, because there was no one else in my unit to work in my absence. Initially the tests were all negative, though it used to respond to antimalarials, only to recur. One day this Professor came along and asked me how I was. I told her how I was.
“If all tests are negative, there is only HIV infection left” she said in a voice full of hope.”
“No. It is resistant vivax and falciparum malaria” I said, having just received the report from an advanced lab.
“Uh…” she said. I was upset at the unhappiness on her face at that news. No one should wish HIV infection on another, even if doctors are known to get it through contact with patients’ blood!
There was another all-time-ill-wisher, a Professor who was also head of her department. Our dislike for each other was mutual. But the comparison ended there. She hated me, while I pitied her for her incompetence, megalomania, and a few other traits. That day we were in a meeting with the Dean.
“What happened to your hand” the Dean asked me, looking at band-aids on two of my knuckles.
“I had minor injuries while cleaning our domestic flour mill” I said.
“You had tendon injuries too?” this ill-wisher Professor asked, her voice dripping with hope and happiness.
“No, just abrasions” I said. I actually wanted to say ‘Unfortunately no, you idiot. Tendon injuries are not managed by application of band-aids” But I refrained. I could not lower myself to her level. But the ill wish was upsetting anyway.
Then there was that Associate Professor, who was a weird ill-wisher. She wished ill for all critical patients I operated. If there was any untoward event in her opinion, she would come forward gleefully, with an evil glint in her eyes and point out what she believed was wrong with what I had done. When I explained what had been done, and that there was not the complication she thought was there, she would go away crestfallen. This happens quite periodically, but she does not mend her ways.
I have not done anything to these three persons. I have not wished them ill because I understand my negative thoughts about others would hurt me too. Luckily one of them left for greener (!) pastures, while another retired before they increased the retirement age by four years. I tolerate the third one somehow. I have tried to analyze why they wish me (and others too) ill. I have found a common factor. Two of them lost their husbands, while the third failed to find one. I don’t know if this is statistically significant. I am trying to learn statistics better. I hope the sample size is OK, because I just cannot stand to have more studies done in this regard. :-)
