We are not speaking of the verb 'to rock' which means 'to be really great'. We are speaking of it with the meaning 'to move to and fro in one place'.
There was a psychiatrist who was a good psychiatrist. But he had higher aspirations. So he decided to dabble in administration. He took up a job of an administrative head, to be carried out along with the job of a psychiatrist. Being a friend, I warned him that being an administrator in a government or civic organization was not just administration, but was more of pleasing people with greater power, and that would be quite stressful to him, considering his straightforward nature. He thought he could manage. So he continued. Or perhaps the desire to wield power overpowered his caution. I left him to his work and continued with mine. After a few months, I met him again.
"You, know, I have no desire to hold on to power that I have. That's why I can continue doing my job" he said.
"Hm..." I said. I did not know where this was going, but I decided to wait and see.
"But it really gets to be too much at times" he said. "The political pressure, the pressure of higher ups at head office - all that is not good."
"Hm..." I said. I had an idea where this all was going.
"Now I have started feeling I should give this all up. I am continuing because I am really doing some good work, which I could not do when I was not the administrative head."
This all sounded fine. But his actions did not lend credence to his speech. He was clasping his hands together and was rocking to and fro, like people who are under stress do. This action is described by psychiatrists as one which reminds one of the time spent in his mother's arms, who soothed him as a baby by rocking him. What was disturbing was that here was a senior psychiatrist who had treated hundreds of people like this, and was doing it himself.
"I think you are severely stressed" I said. "You should give this up and go back to being just a psychiatrist".
I don't know if he liked the advice. Eventually he probably stepped on enough toes and someone else replaced him. Now he seems happier.
There was a psychiatrist who was a good psychiatrist. But he had higher aspirations. So he decided to dabble in administration. He took up a job of an administrative head, to be carried out along with the job of a psychiatrist. Being a friend, I warned him that being an administrator in a government or civic organization was not just administration, but was more of pleasing people with greater power, and that would be quite stressful to him, considering his straightforward nature. He thought he could manage. So he continued. Or perhaps the desire to wield power overpowered his caution. I left him to his work and continued with mine. After a few months, I met him again.
"You, know, I have no desire to hold on to power that I have. That's why I can continue doing my job" he said.
"Hm..." I said. I did not know where this was going, but I decided to wait and see.
"But it really gets to be too much at times" he said. "The political pressure, the pressure of higher ups at head office - all that is not good."
"Hm..." I said. I had an idea where this all was going.
"Now I have started feeling I should give this all up. I am continuing because I am really doing some good work, which I could not do when I was not the administrative head."
This all sounded fine. But his actions did not lend credence to his speech. He was clasping his hands together and was rocking to and fro, like people who are under stress do. This action is described by psychiatrists as one which reminds one of the time spent in his mother's arms, who soothed him as a baby by rocking him. What was disturbing was that here was a senior psychiatrist who had treated hundreds of people like this, and was doing it himself.
"I think you are severely stressed" I said. "You should give this up and go back to being just a psychiatrist".
I don't know if he liked the advice. Eventually he probably stepped on enough toes and someone else replaced him. Now he seems happier.
