Tales from a Dive

Responsibility is an Ugly Beast

Brady Ehler, OP Opinions Editor

V V ork positions have a

funny way of moulding people into a
different image. I think this is especially
true of ones that require a lot of
responsibility. Suddenly, your free time
is at a premium, and the rest of your
life becomes regimented. In short, you
become your job. There are also side
effects and occupational hazards that
come a long with taking such a job. I
think this is especially true to managers
at the dive.

There isn’t a high turn-over rate
where I work, certainly nothing
comparable to say, McDonalds.
However, the general rule there is that
if you find yourself working there for
more than two years, you have probably
acquired the position of manager.
Unfortunately, this probably means
you’re probably on your way out.
Because of the nature of the job, at the
dive, managers rarely last more than a
couple months.

I started working there about 10
months ago; a friend of mine asked me
if I needed a job, and I said sure, so I
started as a porter. Around the same
time this dude Liam, started working in
the kitchen, because he could “slack off
and smoke a lot of dope” —a plan that
worked well for a couple of months.

The managerial duties at the time
were divided between the day manager,
Cheryl, and the day manager, Chelsea.
No one liked Cheryl, especially
Chelsea. They fought all the time, and
as a result, Cheryl eventually quit.
Suddenly Chelsea realized that it was
much more

  

Cae

Aaron is an uncommonly bright, and
capable fellow, and we were all sure
that he would succeed where Chelsea
had failed. Unfortunately, that faith was
misplaced.

Before long, the reliable, sensible
fellow we all knew well was starting
to drink excessively. We still weren’t
worried, because he was, after-all,
well known as a sensible fellow.
Furthermore, he claimed to never get
stressed out, and at first, we believed
him. Before long, though, he had hired
an ex-con that had caused a lot of shit
in both his professional and personal
life. He had, amongst other things, ran
up a tab in excess of a thousand dollars.
Before long, Aaron became a raging
alcoholic. During my shift, on Sunday,
he was often my best customer—
unfortunately, his intention was always
to come in and to paperwork—a task he
rarely go to. Eventually Aaron resigned,
and again, Chery] returned to clean up
the mess.

During Aaron’s reign, he had
promoted Liam, and I to bartender
status, so by the time Aaron was on
the way out, Liam had gained enough
experience to take over managerial
duties. As of yet, Liam has not
developed a nefarious drug habit,
however he started smoking again.
Also, he doesn’t have the luxury of
sitting around smoking pot all day,
because there is too much for him to
do. Luckily, though, another one of
the bartenders helps out with much of
his work, or at least she has been after
coming

than she could back fro
handle; she P tg her month-
mm lo all my Frieeends! =e
how to do all 7 0 a = r § ° vacation.
of the book- if ‘ y He is
keeping, : i doing well
ordering, etc. so far...

so she started however
to stress out, he’s the -
big-time. manager in
Before long, 10 months,
Chelsea had so we'll
developed an see how
unmanageable long he
drug problem. lasts.
Furthermore, Perhaps

she started yelling at customers,
showing up late for work, and moving
quickly towards a nervous breakdown.
It was only a couple of months before
the pressure became too much and
Chelsea quit.

Cheryl came back to clean up the
mess, and for a while, everything
was fine. However, there were some
discrepancies regarding book-keeping,
and Aaron, the senior bartender at the
time, took over. Aaron didn’t exactly
know what he was stepping into, but he
was confident he could handle it. Now

the position of Dive Manager isn’t
invincible in it’s power to crush all of
it’s victims under the massive weight
of responsibility, but oddly enough,
Liam seems to be the one that it has
changed the most. I guess that’s the
thing with responsibility, you either
adapt to it, and let it change you, or
become a stressed-out, alcoholic, loon-
bag, with a nefarious drug habit in a
desperate effort to avoid responsibility.
Either you’re able to keep your cool,
and deal with things calmly, or you start
stressing out and making bad decisions.

 

Science Matters

Wanted: Leadership for the 21st Century

David Suzuki, OP Contributor

i just turned 71. That’s old—at
least in my books. Sometimes I can’t
believe that I’ve made it this far. Other
times I can’t believe how much there
is left I want to do. At my age, I think
it’s pretty common for people to start
thinking about these things, and what we
want to leave behind— our legacies.

Politicians have a much shorter
lifespan—politically speaking, that is.
They can be around for four years or
less, rarely more than eight. That’s why
I’m often surprised by how little they
seem to want to accomplish in that time.
Certainly, I understand the lure of the
status quo. Change is hard. Often vested
interests will fight you every step of the
way. Political advisors will say “No, no,
no—stay the course! Don’t make waves!
Get re-elected!”

But what’s the point of being re-
elected if you aren’t going to DO
anything? Yes, yes, maybe I’m being naive.
Maybe politicians are just there to support
their vested interests, take home a fat
paycheck and pension, and revel in the
power of their office. But surely there’s
got to be more to it than that? The life
of a politician is not one I envy. It’s hard,
sometimes brutal. You are constantly
under scrutiny, and it takes up your entire
life.

That’s why I honestly believe that
most politicians at least start out wanting
to work for the common good. Many
become overwhelmed by the muck,
but great leaders act. They make bold
decisions and move on them. They don’t
tinker when big changes are needed and
they don’t change things just for the
sake of change. One of my pet peeves
is the way some administrations will
move into office and, rather than take an
honest assessment of what’s working and
what isn’t, instead set out to dismantle
everything the previous administration
had done just to make a point.

Of course, it’s hard for leaders to
act without public support. But right
now, the environment is the top public

 

concern. The public will support strong
environmental leadership, so now’s the
time for our political leaders to act.

And politicians are indeed starting
to take note. Seeing the success of
initiatives in Europe, some politicians
in North America are making bold
decisions and plans to clean up our
environment. Republican Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger in California
may have been the brunt of jokes when
he was first elected, but no one’s laughing
now as he’s carefully crafted one of the
world’s most progressive, legislated plans
to reduce pollution and global warming.

Recently, British Columbia Premier
Gordon Campbell went down to
California to talk to Schwarzenegger
about his plans. That’s a very encouraging
sign. Premier Campbell’s Speech from
the Throne earlier this year was very
bold and painted a new vision of British
Columbia as leading North America in
terms of sustainability. Given how proud
British Columbians are of their natural
heritage, progressive environmental
leadership seems like a natural fit. It will
also help diversify and strengthen B.C_’s
economy in the long term, and also be a
model for other provinces.

This is exactly what our leaders
should be doing—learning from each
other. Many provinces and states are
coming out with exciting new programs
towards sustainability. Ontario recently
announced a “standard offer contract”
system for renewable energy that’s the
first of its kind in North America. I hope
Premier Campbell, and all our leaders,
take a good look at the best examples
of environmental leadership from all
jurisdictions and incorporate them into
their own plans.

In the end, all that we have are our
legacies. I’ve been on this planet now
for 71 years. I don’t know how many
years I have left, but I promise you I plan
to make the most of them. I hope our
political leaders look at their terms in
office the same way.

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