The illusion of being indispensable

According to the Cambridge dictionary of English, any person or thing that lays claim to being indespensible is so good or important that you could not manage without it, him or her. As is the case with any emerging field of science, knowledge or human endeavour, the pioneers are usually given a special regard haven being the ones that broke the grounds or paved the way for others to follow.

However as we have seen some of these individuals who are pathfinders in some regards tend to adorn themselves with the toga of indispensability. One may say it is only a human weakness to entertain such feelings or thoughts. This weakness assumes a frightening dimension when the one who deems himself indispensable becomes desperate to maintain such self acclaimed status and does virtually anything possible to prevent others from 'dethroning' him including causing bodily harm and sabotage.

Everything in life occurs in turn. Some days will be for you while others will seem as though they are against you. Similarly today you may be at the top tomorrow may be another ball game, you could even fall or be displaced to the bottom. The right attitude to these inevitable changes that life throws at us is not to adopt the approach of despair or desperation. Rather what is needed is to constantly put in the required effort and strive to be the best knowing that someone else might beat you to it but if you do get rewarded with being the best, do not attempt to retain that status by hook or crook.

It is saddening that while trying to fit into the role of being indispensable, we tend to lose sight of the things that matter in life like family and friends. Sometimes this error is somewhat commited innocently and not deliberately. So it is a good idea while pursuing that dream career or position, to take a step back for introspection to see if we are becoming goal driven cruel monsters of sorts, missing out of the important things in life or worse still failing to give attention to people in our lives deserving of it only to regret later when it's too late.

I will conclude with a summary of a story which I read when I was younger, I think I was in junior high school when I encountered the comprehension passage which struck a chord. Please pardon me for not being able to reproduce the entire passage as I read the story more than two decades ago. The story was about a renowned medical doctor who had achieved so much in terms of his career. He was a workaholic but had a flaw which was not spending enough quality time with his family. Some at his workplace seemed to think he was indispensable and had tagged him as such.

Alas as fate would have it he eventually died in the course of duty, although he was mourned by colleagues at workplace, it was only a matter of time before someone else stepped up to take up the responsibilities which he had been discharging while he left behind a family which he had failed to give the required attention. While his family mourned his demise, he was promptly replaced because the job which he did just had to go on as certainly he wasn't the only one capable of doing it.

It was indeed a tragic ending for someone who was at the peak of his career. It is therefore vital to give all aspects of one's life its appropriate due such that one doesn't seemingly excel in some areas at the detriment of others.

Shukran

Danke

Merci

Gracias

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Спасибо

for reading.