Survival?

Reading an article today about "surviving the office jungle" though alliances, training and strategy. No mention of going in and doing a good job for the sake of the craft.

They're probably right to think of it that way: survival. Most probably don't think of their jobs as a craft - at least not here in the cubes - and so there is plenty of mind-time to let the attention wander to things like Who's On Top?, How to Avoid Blame, and Which Way Outta Here That's Going Up?

Survival. Might as well go back to spear-chucking. Develop a few deft moves, learn how to dodge (claws, teeth, other spears), perfect your aim and - WHAM! - dinner for tonight. Certainly makes more sense than sitting in a 4 x 6, tapping at a keyboard, pretending to accomplish something, while keeping the ears tuned for intrigue, opportunity and danger.

When the layoff hammer falls, cubicle walls fall down in a row like dominos. Why think you control that? Stoic Existentialism, that's The Cube's motto this month. And if everyone is out to get everyone else - and "survival" has to be #1 priority on your mind - it's time, maybe, to enter a vocation instead of a job. I hear that firefighters stick by one another. In some professions, the "team" is real, not just a concept slogan.