TMI? WTF?

I just read an article in the news paper, printed in the careers section. The title was simple: TMI? It cautioned the reader against revealing too much of himself to his coworkers. As I read, it listed things such as discussing medical issues, like illnesses that had been treated in the past, or things being treated now. Also listed: religious views, money issues, morality issues, child disciplining or relationship problems. And the message was clear. Don't talk about it. Don't be "overly" emotional. That's not what a "professional" does.

I worked in the trades. Most of the people I worked with would rather eat a hive of bees than talk about their "feelings" (unless you include urges, compulsions and jokes as feelings). I often wonder at how competition or competitiveness in general helps and hinders us in the shop-does it create hostility and create barriers? or does it drive us forward, striving towards the perfect blend of efficiency and artful creation?

For my part, I don't really want to be in a competition. It brings out the worst parts of my character. There is a duplicity that goes hand in hand with competition and I wanted none of it. I have decided that it is easier for *me* to be just one person. There's just one thing: it pretty much sucks. Big time.

When I first started working at my shop, I was determined to be different. Not in a whiney, alt-alt gen-x manner, but in a decidedly counter-cultural sort of way. I was going to have an honorable sense of work-ethic, and sense of humor. I was going to talk about and think about things that were going to lift up and edify culture in the shop. And I didn't think I needed to be militant about it or anything. In fact, I didn't want to be. I just selected the roles I'd take up in conversations as carefully as I could manage. And conversely I un-selected conversations that didn't seem to be headed in a good direction. Why? Was it to put myself in a category *other* than that of my co-workers? No. Was it to make somebody else feel bad or like I was looking down my nose at them? No. I was simply taking responsibility for the sounds going into and coming out of my head.

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Apparently I'm judgemental and think that I'm better than you. I happen to know otherwise, but that's the conventional wisdom.

When I began to hear that CW, of course I wanted to do something to repair that. Not so much for my benefit, at least that's how I've judged it to this point, though I could be mistaken. We don't always have sound judgement when it comes to our own judgement...

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