We have traps in the north. This is where larger mammals with valuable coats can be found so people trap for pelts as well as to cut down on pests like bush-eating bunnies, root-eating voles and mice. This is the land where I once found my office neighbor sitting in the doorway to his office, knee to knee with another professor. They were trading furs they had caught themselves on the traplines they tended before coming to work. One confessed that he really wanted a beaver tail. Later, the other sent a large tail in an interoffice memo envelope. Unfortunately, the recipient was away at a conference for a week and by his return, the mailroom was reeking of a bad rotting smell.
But there are also traps for people. A bad buy can trap you in obligations. An obligation that you took on willingly can turn out to be a burden. We have watched six years of Grey's Anatomy. We have seen Richard becoming increasingly dysfunctional due to an alcohol problem and Derek eagerly take over the job of chief of surgery. You have heard that "heavy lies the head that wears the crown." You have read "Atlas Shrugged" and experienced the weight of responsibility and leadership yourself. There is loneliness at the top. So, it is no surprise to you that there are many executive, staff and procedural decisions that Derek must make that are traps. These are situations where he will have trouble if he decides to and trouble if he decides not to and more trouble the longer he waits to decide. He is often trapped in that way. What can he do? Not much. He tries to bear the criticism, the Monday morning quarterbacking, the new arrays of enemies produced, along with, of course, the hearty congratulations and the thank-yous from the other side.
Opposite positions don't always arrive between people. There can be a change of heart. One of us gets sick and the prognosis is not good. We love each other and we agree that there should not be "heroic measures" taken to artificially prolong life. But when the real dying sets in, the person about to be left alone has a change of heart. That final moment is to be avoided. Yet, the papers are all signed and in order. One of us wants to be unplugged and suddenly the other strongly disagrees. Either way, the hospital is trapped.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
