Today I came across a few sentences in a book that seemed so appropriate for some people I know. I know the words are said in a different context in the book but, they still seem to apply.

Seen ’em all over the country and in the homes – people who try to make you weak so they can get you to toe the line, to follow their rules, to live like they want you to. And the best way to do this, to get you to knuckle under, is to weaken you by gettin’ you where it hurts the worst. … you’re up against a guy who wants to win by making you weaker instead of making himself stronger

~Ken Kesey “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

It got me thinking of so many people who I work with. In the corporate world and probably in other settings too, this is a common phenomenon I’ve come across.

People seem to want to put you down, instead of building themselves up. I would think that it would be easier to actually better yourself to look good instead of trying to look good at someone else’s expense. But sadly, the reality is that this world is full of insecure people. People who think that the best way to get ahead is by blaming others or making others seem inadequate, when it’s actually them who are inadequate themselves. People fear the unknown and the insecurities give rise to bad behaviour and you end up working with a bunch of toxic people.

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