‘I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert…’
The poet was that great pioneer of pop star literati poet loser Percy Shelley. He also wrote Ode to a Grecian Urn amongst other treasures. But Ozymandius has always fascinated me. A monumental king of kings > all gone, boom! Just a pile of dust.
Which brings me back to the blog. Control freaks. I kind of love them.
Just recently I was involved at a workplace. The minute I arrived and set up, a person was there, next to me.
Not to be at all sexist here, but it was a lady. A women. You know, the other sex.
She fixed me with her glaring gaze and started to let me know how things were done ‘around here.’ I nodded and smiled and occasionally muttered a phrase of complete understanding like ‘yeah sure.’ But I could see that she (who could have easily been a he) was lost somewhere. Maybe she was in the desert looking at the gigantic monument and trying to make out the visage. All I know is that she was on her own planet and i was only docking for a while.
Now, I’m experienced. I’ve been around the block a few times.
To be honest, I could have been a waiter at the last supper.
I’m skilled and reliable and people relate to me. When I teach they might not learn everything, but they have a good time, which makes for good learning. I use humour a lot to bring people back into the room and off their Iphones. It works for me. I get great feedback. All you have to do is tell me where and when, the topic/subject, any materials and leave me to it.
But this person, lets call them Ozzie had to control me. Why?
Well I thought about it later. What drives a control freak? Insecurity? A need for power? Recognition? Panic? Fear?
All of the above.
Control freaks should read some Shelley and start with Ozymandius.
‘I met a traveller from an antique land who said …’