THIS POST IS FOR MYSELF.
THE CHAT WITH DAD WENT TERRIBLY WRONG. THE VERY MOMENT HE PICKED UP THE ISSUE—THE SAME, UNRESOLVED ISSUE EVERY WEEK—I KNEW IT WAS OVER. IN HIS EYES, I AM A WORTHLESS, TOTAL FAILURE, BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE ALONE.
FOR HIM ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE OUTCOME: HE DOES NOT CARE HOW YOU GET THERE. THIS HAS BEEN HIS TEACHING SINCE MY CHILDHOOD. EVERYTHING IS OK AS LONG AS YOU DELIVER THE OUTCOMES HE EXPECTS.
OUR IMPLICIT CONTRACT HAS WORKED FINE IN THE PAST: I DID WELL SCHOOL AND CAREER WISE, AT LEAST BY USUAL STANDARDS. THEY ARE NOT EASY, BUT AS LONG AS I PUT ENOUGH EFFORTS, THE OUTCOMES FOLLOW.
STRANGE ENOUGH, I WAS A BIT DISAPPOINTED WHEN I FIRST GOT MY PROMOTION NEWS LAST SUMMER. I MET HIS EXPECTATION, AGAIN. THE GRUELING HELL I HAVE GONE THROUGH IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS? HE DOES NOT CARE.
HOW COULD HE UNDERSTAND? HOW COULD HE UNDERSTAND WITHOUT LIVING THROUGH IT, DAY IN AND DAY OUT? HOW COULD HE UNDERSTAND ALL THE LONELINESS, THE FEAR, THE FRUSTRATION, THE DEPRESSION, THE DESPERATION, THAT I MUST ENDURE, FOR THAT SINGLE OUTCOME?
BUT THE ISSUE TODAY IS DIFFERENT: FOR TEN YEARS I CANNOT DELIVER. AFTER HIS BOMBARDMENT, I FELT SAD. HE HAD A POINT: WHY EVERYONE ELSE CAN DO IT, WHY CANNOT YOU?
BUT, TO BE FAIR, WHY CANNOT YOU SEE THAT FREAKING PROMOTION CONSUMED ALMOST ALL MY TIME? WHY CANNOT YOU UNDERSTAND THERE IS NO SUCH THING OF LIFE/WORK BALANCE IN ACADEMIA, WHEN THE TENURE CLOCK IS TICKING EVERY SINGLE SECOND, FOR EIGHT YEARS? THE TIME OTHERS PUT INTO FAMILY I HAVE TO PUT INTO WORK. IS THAT SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?
AS ALWAYS, AFTER EVERY BOMBARDMENT, HE INSISTED ON A DEFINITE TIME LINE, AND WOULDN’T STOP UNTIL YOU OFFER ONE. I FEEL TERRIBLE. WHY DOES MY FEELING NEVER MATTER TO HIM?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I WILL GET IT DONE, BUT ON MY TERM.
A MAN OF ACTION 