The Treatment Program of Absurdity: 2

A Desire for Sacking

“Hello Tommy, you wanted to speak with me?”
“Yes Dr. Gore! have you noticed Elizabeth behaving in any peculiar manner?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“I was looking for a reason to fire her, and I will take anything I can get.”
“Why do you want to fire her; she has become very popular among the students?”
“That is the problem. You know just as well as I do that a lot of students have issues that stem from their parents, but if we criticize the parents, they will no longer pay to send their kids here. What I worry about is that Elizabeth is going to criticize the parents of one of the students; the student is going to tell the parent; and when it gets out, the program will be finished.”
“Tommy, I think you are blowing this way out of proportion.”
“Frank, have you ever seen the movie Dead Poet’s Society.”
“You know I have. Don’t you remember when Harry was asking me why he couldn’t stand on the desk and say, “Oh Captain, Thy Captain?”
“Oh yah, I forgot about that. I am using that movie to illustrate the predicament of an institution going against the parents; look at what happened when the kid wanted to be an actor, but his father refused to allow it, so Robin Williams decided to defy the wishes of the father, and encouraged the kid to follow his obsession with acting?”
“Tommy, no one here is on the verge of suicide, due to the actions of their parents.”
“I wasn’t talking about that; I was talking about how the school got in trouble, and they had to fire the teacher, in order to avoid being shut down.”
“Tommy, I trust Elizabeth to be careful as to not tell students anything that will cause Great Ascendency to get into legal trouble.”
“How do we know that she won’t tell them anything that will cause the parents to pull them, in which she is ruining what therapy is all about: making money while doing research that allows you to overcome your own issues.”
“Tommy, I didn’t overcome my issues when I got my Ph.D.; I overcame my issues many years earlier when I met a teacher who helped me.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“I was into computers back when their main purpose was business; I liked video games at a time when video games were considered childish; and I thought watching sports was a waste of time; in other words, I was different. From 3rd-6th grade, for my differences, other students constantly bullied me. I hated the world; I hated myself; and I just wanted to die. However, I had a science teacher, Mr. Hooper, who took a liking to me and showed me how being different isn’t a bad thing, and the people who go after those who are different are just upset, due to the fact that they are forced to conform to society. The compassion shown to me by my teacher made me realize that if more people were shown kindness, the world would be a better place. That’s why I decided to go on to get my doctorate in psychology; I wanted to help people change.”
“Wow, you’re a saint.”