A Word Of Advice.

There is a certain college fraternity back East that uses this motto:

"Wer war der Thor, wer Weiser, Bettler oder Kaiser? Ob Arm, ob Reich, im Tode gleich."

(Which translates thusly: "Who was the fool, who the wise man, beggar or king? Whether poor or rich, all's the same in death.")

It's part of an initiation where the candidate stands in front of four skulls, at the feet of which are laid a crown, a sword, a rough bag, and a priest's hat. He is asked whether they are the bones of a king, nobleman, priest, or a beggar. As he cannot decide, the president of the meeting says to him, 'The character of man is the only thing that is of importance."

Upon graduation, the candidate is given a grandfather clock, to remind him that time waits for no man.

In simple terms, the lesson here is that when Death finally comes, it isn't going to matter a damn bit who you were, or thought you were, in life. Everybody rots in the ground just as fast as everybody else, so it's best to get over yourself.

Often in my working life I have had to deal with people from corporate offices of what ever company employs me at the time. Each time I have to do this, I dread it intensely. Corporate people have often treated me in ways that I would never treat a customer. It's gotten to be proverbial -- how dare I disturb them in their thrones above the clouds? Because I'm a peon trying to talk to them, obviously I must be faced with something I'm too stupid to handle, therefore needing their grand corporate vision.

Let me give all the corporate people of the world a piece of advice. It doesn't cost you any extra to treat your subordinates with the same consideration you would give a valued customer, because when the worms are eating your dead body in the coffin, they're not going to give a flying f* what the nameplate on your office says.