High School Resolutions

There is the unfortunate reality that occasionally a group of fully functional adults can behave like teenagers. When this happens the high school dynamic can revisit the workplace raising too many unresolved issues to deal with in a rational adult manner. The resulting atmosphere is rife with cliques and rumors as well as an oddly distorted sense of order and protocol.

When used to this environment it probably doesn't seem all that unusual. Particularly joined closely enough after school so that it simply seems a continuation of how life is. For the lucky few who were able to leave high school behind them as teenagers and went on to University and work experiences that were largely populated by adults behaving as adults, joining this environment is nothing short of surreal.

It is beyond bizarre to be accused of behavior better suited to an evening soap opera than a human being, particularly when it is so entirely opposite to the reality of the situation. It is more bizarre to find nasty little cliques and standards for inclusion into one group that require exclusion of others for no reason better than petty grievances and rumors that so completely skew the reality of what the actual situation is that the dawning awareness of the reality of what is happening is roughly the equivalent of waking up from a truly intense dream. It is unpleasant and ridiculously hard to be productive in such a situation.

Fortunately it also gives an unusual opportunity to come to terms with the high school student that was. The high school student that perhaps was remembered unfairly. The high school student that was inclusive instead of exclusive. That refused to allow others to be ostracized. The grade school student that was the only one who gave the unpopular kid in class a valentine.

It is a rare gift that helps you learn to like and come to terms with the person you were and in some ways still are. And like high school, no matter how much you learn from your time there you're still intensely grateful that it ends.