Friday, March 28, 2008

The Eleventh Plague On Egypt

Little known Biblical Fact: If killing the First Born didn't work, God would have made the Egyptians break into small groups and share.

10 comments:

Sanctus Belle said...

And of course the dreaded "group hug" that's enough to scare off even Pharoah

Tara said...

Forced "public displays of affection" suck! Breaking into groups and sharing--well, lets see, tell me how you "feel." Just because you have broken into a group--your "supposed" to be able to share your deep in-most thoughts on demand? How absurd. Emotions don't work that way.

Once, in the hospital, a woman, whom I had just met, asked me if she could give me a hug. Her dad was sick and I was his nurse--what--you want ME to give you a hug?--I don't even know you.

And then there are the people you know that when an emotional life stressor hits they feel "obligated" to give you the sympathy hug--you know it's not real and in fact it feels contrived. It's feels so intensely uncomfortable.

When managers want you to break off into groups and share "real" feelings--it's so they can manipulate you with them. Real friends share "real" feelings--when their feeling them--not when some group leader decides you need to share them.

Sorry, Father for the rant--but I had to do this "group sharing" all through college and it just bugs the bejeebes out of me!

Just sharing the way I "feel" at this moment--LOL!

James Pawlak said...

My wife will not let me hug the variety of humans I wish to hug.

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

hahahaha, the ever so helpful group disussions. All of my discussions (if I ever do group work, I hate it) are never based on feelings, but just the facts.

And if that didn't work, there's the 12th plauge, horrible Liturgical Music.

James Pawlak said...

If God had been really angry at the Gyps, he would have required the small groups to do liturgical dances.

DigiHairshirt said...

"And God smote them, and madeth them to gather into a steering committee, thus to developeth a straw man, and He commanded them to thinketh outside the box. And ye, the meeting ran into overtime and the people were plagued by organization charts . . ."

(That actually sounds like The Book of Mormon as rewritten by Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert".)

Adrienne said...

One year at his annual retreat our pastor was required to write his feeeeeelings on butcher paper taped up all around the room.

Every year I offer to buy him new crayons before his retreat. The BIG box with all the extra colors.

doughboy said...

digihairshirt: LOL!

adrienne: your pastor should go on retreat w/the trappists. i love the trappists. they leave you ALONE!

Adrienne said...

doughboy - That would make Father Bill very happy. This year at one of their get-togethers (don't think it was his actually retreat) they got to study Covey's 7 Habits of Sucessful People. I suggested that they mail the book to all the priests in the Diocese and save a truck load of travel money.

Fr. Erik Richtsteig said...

Covey is the Anti-Christ's punk baby brother!