Forced Jargon

A year ago, every reporter was embedded into the action in Iraq. News readers freely spouted the term as if they had been using it for years. However, I can't recall the last time I heard it used by anyone recently.

Well, its 2004. So get ready for engaged and resilient.

If you are one of those people that are struggling with work-life balance, then know that it is YOU to whom the phrase should be of great importance. Conferences and well-known speakers are sprouting up all over the country professing their wisdom, advice and guidance to help you become an engaged and resilient employee.

Maybe its me, but the image of an abused spouse pops into my head. A battered wife who refuses to leave a destructive marriage and justifies the violent beatings, fits the engaged and resilient descriptor.

Lets deconstruct the phrase.

engaged - 1) pledged or promised; 2) occupied, employed; 3) greatly interested; 4) partly embedded or bonded. [Sounds like a perfect description of a wife or husband who is madly in love with their spouse - and hey, there's that embedded word! Can't be bad.]

resilient - 1) capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture; 2) moving swiftly back; 3) looking backward; 4) tending to regain strength or high spirits. [Hmmmm... able to take a smack on the head and not complain. The energizer bunny... a Timex watch... they keep going and going - in spite of adverse conditions they may face. A hint of masochism in my book.]

So, put it all together, and there are conferences taking place that are geared toward making YOU - the abused corporate citizen - learn to live and accept your lot in life as a piece of meat.

Engaged and resilient?

I think I prefer enraged and resistant when it comes to my relationship with my employer.