And there goes the rug from underneath me again
And now my last friend has cut me out of her life, and the theatre company, as well. I feel that I was right to stand my ground, and refuse to promise a thing which I was not certain about. That I was justified in maintaining the right to choose for myself, not just obey because they thought it was the only course of action. Even if j did go bananas, there have been bad shows before. If she did call the cops, that's her choice, and her responsibility. I've done nothing to merit that level of response. That level of hatred. One of the people who checked in with me last night - the conversation went like this: "I've been asked to never darken thier doorstep again." "That's a little overdramatic and dishonest of you." "I stood firm in my own resolve." "No, you were being stubborn, and were ready to ruin the show." I saw the negation, said good night. She responded "I've watched as you complain about people abandoning you and betraying you, and it just makes me angry. You're the common thread in all these situations, and you keep reaching out to pull people into your drama. You need to be ok with you, and then people will stop having to be so harsh with you. I'm defriending you now, just because I don't need negative people in my life." I replied "Very well. I appreciate the honesty. I do have to point out that you negated and denied nearly every single statement I made over the course of this conversation, so... yeah. I don't really need someone like you in my life either. Thanks, and Godspeed." Aside from my wife, my job, and my kids, I've got nothing left of my life of a year ago. I'm trying so hard to keep focused on the positive, but I'll admit it HURTS. What's the point of being good and loyal and kind, if this is the only thing you get in return - being sucked dry while you give, and then cast aside when you become a liability? Since when is 'we're arguing, therefore I'm ending the relationship totally' become standard practice? Why is no one willing to actually discuss and understand? Why are people comfortable with piling on more crap, wwhen they know how much I've already got on my plate? It's curl up in a ball and weep time again. Not literally, I'm at work, but... yeah. I am not a monster. I am not unreasonable. I am not irrational. And they're going to regret letting me go - I was the heart of the company. I have had several actors tell me that they were the only reason they've been coming back. Others admit that the owners terrify them, and they're just flat out rude and ungrateful and close-minded. They refused to believe me, and dismissed my concerns when I pointed out how many grass fires I put out amongst the casts. They'll see.
Replies
Hi Bax,
I know a lot of shit has happened since you wrote this, but just thought I would comment on this journal anyway in case it helped.
Other people\'s reactions to the owners prove your feelings right - they are the weak links in the chain, not you. And unfortunately, when you are around whacko abusers, being good and kind CAN get you punished, because they don\'t have understanding or appreciation of either quality. They only see \"ME ME ME\".
It sounds to me like your kind nature has got you caught in a web of nasty predators. That does not mean you should not be kind; it means you should try to take yourself out of the game before they hurt you irreparably. Try to avoid contact with all. Staying silent and not trying to explain (even though you are right!) is your best defence against people hurling crazy accusations your way to supposedly \'get even\' for some wrong they think you have done them. In truth, your rightness has most prob. hurt their egos, and they are selfishly retaliating for that alone.
Protect yourself with silence. Even if they call and try to goad you, do not get sucked into defending yourself. They are nuts, and they will use innocent things you say against you. I know it is hard - my mother once verbally accused a man IS was with of blackmail when it was anything but. But she was trying only to deflect attention from her OWN bad behaviour onto him! The only word for people like this is selfish.
Thinking of you during your hard times, and remember: although it hurts so bad when people do not value you truly and seem to punish you every which way just for being good to them, distance and silence really are the best policies right now. Their brains are broken, and they will not understand anything you try to say. Talk to us instead :)
Take care and do not let them beat you! You are too worthy for that.
*hugs and good thoughts*
RB