An Iron Fist

I just witnessed something in the Post Office that sparked a little observation about part of my view of legalism:

It's busy here. Christmas always floods the Post Office, and I waited in line for about a half an hour to pick up a package. Usually when an employee finishes with a customer, they set up for the next one and say something like "Can I help the next person in line?" A man and woman walked up to the line before receiving this invitation, and the postman behind the counter jokingly said to the man "You know, I didn't call you up," with a smile and a wink.

The man motioned with his finger toward his ear a shook his head without saying a word. He was deaf, as was his companion. They proceeded to explain what they needed done through writing and everything appeared to go smoothly.

What struck me was this: Had something like this happened to me at Kanakuk, or even worse, the Kenworthy, there would have been a rule imposed immediately against joking around with customers. The attitude would be, "Now that this has happened once, it's going to happen again and it's a horrible thing. The only way to be safe is to surround ourselves in rules, and that through them we can ward off any and all complications." There's no trust put in one's own judgment or dealing with situations as they arise. Employers (at my level anyway) seem to want robots, not organic beings that can adapt and shift to a situation. We need to have all the possibilities and scenarios uploaded into our brains so that when sensory input comes our way, we just run it through the matrix of "What does the manuel say?"