Construction Mantras
If you’re sitting meditating in an Indian ashram, you are very likely to utter or overhear the mantra “Om–m–m–m.”
If you work in the Australian construction environment, the typical mantras you might utter or overhear are very different.
“Grin and bear it mate!”
“Man up!”
“Swallow some cement and harden the F*#! Up!”
“What are you, a pussy?”
“Stop being a wuss.”
None of which are constructive (pardon the pun) in dealing with the problem which has necessitated the comment in the first place.
In fact, these types of comments only entrench outdated, ineffective attitudes about how to approach and deal with life’s struggles.
- You might be finding the workload too demanding
- You might have had a confrontation with a boss
- You might have broken up with a partner and feel sad.
The more appropriate responses would be:
- Would you like to sit down and talk about it?
- Is everything ok?
- What can I do to help?
- How about we go and talk to ….?
When we suffer for whatever reason (and given the current environment, there are lots of reasons), the bravest thing we can do is ask for help instead of buying into these unhelpful suggestions by soldiering on, by avoiding, denying, minimizing or living in hope that things will be better tomorrow.
For those who are onlookers, the best you can do is not to encourage the person to just keep going “because that’s what real men are supposed to do!!!” but motivate them to address the cause by talking with others or seeking professional help.