This one is about this associate professor of ours with multiple attitudes.
“Give him a thump!'' said one colleague that day.
"Give him a big thump" said another colleague.
“Who are you talking about” I asked. It turned out they wanted our friend with attitudes thumped
for joining contributory lunches in the department and then coolly declaring that his contribution
would be his presence but not any home-cooked food. They had told him to get food from a hotel, which was also flatly refused.
“A thump is unlikely to change his attitude” I said.
“Sir, he knows the exact schedule of the servants’ and nurses’ tea-time. He visits them every day in those locations like different wards, operation theaters, and outpatient clinic. If we happen to reach there at such times, we find him sitting amongst them, sipping free tea. But we have not seen him get anything for them even once in his 24 years of service” said the first colleague.
“I even recall him refusing to contribute to the farewell functions we arrange for nurses and servants when they retire. He had said he felt the financial pinch from such contributions, If he had put away money for every cup of tea he consumed at their expense, he would have money left over after such contributions” said the other colleague. They were quite worked up.
“He gets the same salary we get. How come he cannot afford to pay his dues?” The question seemed rhetorical.
“How can he just take and not give?” That one also looked rhetorical.
“See, this is a deep psychological thing that cannot be cured by mere logical reasoning. It needs a specialist to cure it.” That sounded like wisdom, but only theoretical wisdom.
“That is right,” I said “but you cannot commit colleagues to such treatment for such small matters. They need to commit something gross and dangerous. A better option is for such persons to seek help by themselves.”
“He will never go seek such help by himself” declared the first colleague. “He thinks there is nothing wrong with him but the world is doing him wrong. He thinks the whole world owes him and it is his right to collect. Perhaps as described inour philosophy, he is a creditor of us all from a past life and it is for us all to pay up and him to collect in this life".
They looked at me with disbelief. They did not believe in this philosophy apparently.
