This is a picture of the sales department in the radio station where I work. I kick myself for thinking it’s kind of sad. Who am I to judge?
I’ve never worked in a cubicle. I guess the idea is to give employees their own private space within the much larger hive of many worker bees.
They make their cubicles as personal as they can, dressing them up with lots of pictures of people and places they love, of children’s artwork, toys, awards and memorabilia.
They decorate their private spaces with silly and serious memes, of rapturous photos of vacation memories and maybe-someday dreams.
They post inspirational words that remind them of who they once were and hopefully can still be away from all of this.
I don’t work in a cubicle but I do live in a box, a house that looks nearly identical to all the rest of the homes on our street and the next several streets over in every direction.
Like the worker bees my dozens of nameless neighbors and I dress up the insides of our otherwise identical private spaces to declare our individuality, our uniqueness and to remember who we are.
Still, we really are workers bees in a hive.
I guess it just shows how we all work together to form a productive, efficient society to the benefit of all. I guess.
But the sales department cubicles still make me sad.
These little boxes don’t scare me. I’m a natural nester. Coffee maker. Vase. Couple of flowers. A few throw pillows. Nice plaid blanket draped over a desk chair. Boom. Home sweet home.
Dave, I agree there is a better way BUT, your getting the bills paid, you seem to enjoy what your doing, and if you did not why are you still doing it after 50 years? I know you love what you do, and I suppose your success in that endeavor, puts you near the top of those who strive to be as good as you, and in a huge urban area the ratio of people to space is, well Hive like. If you choose to go a different route I know a station you could buy, do what you do so well, still pay your bills, and live where the ratio of people to space is more like well, a drop in the ocean. Tongue in cheek sort of, the station is still on the marked but ONE thing, as long as I get to keep doing my Friday show, I am all for it!!
Hmmm. I wasn’t commenting on my life specifically. It was just meant to be an observation about civilization middle American style. Maybe I need to tweak it. Thanks, Bruce.