Heslumpedbackinhisswivelchair,listlessandlethargicinhisboredom,hisarmslollinglooselyonhissides,hisfeetonthecluttereddesk,hiseyesrivetedontheceilinglikethoseofaninfantwhostillwonderswhattheworldisallabout.Onceagainhefoundhimselfatlooseends,strugglingtocastoffthatsenseofendlessennuiandidleness.Hewasneveranindolentman---dawdlinganddallyinghadneverbeenhisstyle---butsomehowhejustfeltnothingwasworthwhileatthemomentoratleastsoheassumed.“Gosh!WhattheheckamIdoing?Ain’tIsupposedtobeworkinghard?”Hemutteredtohimself,butelicitednoanswer.Hesoothedhimselfwiththenotionthathisverylanguor,orratherinactiveness,whichhesurelypreferred,wastosomedegreeattributabletohishighefficiencywhichhadallowedhimtofinishallhistaskswayaheadofscheduleandthuslefthimwithnothingtobustleabout.Hebegantolookaroundinhisseat,twistinghisbodyandcraninghisnecksothathecouldbettersnooparoundonothers.Hesawthatmostofhiscolleagueswerebusyworking,theirmindspreoccupiedbytheworkathand,theireyestransfixedonthecomputerscreens,theirbackssettightlikethescarpofamoat....Itstruckhimthatthesepeopleseldomtalked,exceptwhentheyhadtomakephonecallstocustomersortranslationapplicants,andthatwhentheydidtalktoeachotheratintervalsofwork,theirsubjectswereusuallysofarawayfromtheepicenterofhisinterestthatheneverbotheredtochimein.Hedidn’tquiteunderstandhowworkhadcometotakeupsomuchoftheirtime,theirenergyandultimatelytheirliveswithoutthemevergruntingacomplaintorseriouslyreflectingonwhatallthismightentail.Thereweremanypeopleinthecompany,hereckoned,whowouldtellhimthatworkethicandprofessionalismweretheunquestionablecreedsofeverysuccessfulcorporatecultureandthatinasocietywherecorporatehierarchystillprevailed,employeeswererightlyexpectedtodomorethantheywerepaidfor,sometimesevenmorethantheirphysicalityandstaminawouldallow....
2010-08-25 00:27:33
作者:Timothy KOE
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