Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been quite a long time since mt last confession and I'm not entirely sure as to why I'm here now.
[[continue->01]]//Is something troubling you? Or perhaps something that you wish to seek guidance with?//
[[continue->02]]Not //troubling// me per say, more irritating me.
[[continue->03]]//Go on.//
[[continue->04]]Well I work in this office for a company that has ties to basically everything. I like my work and I'm damned good at what I do, the best actually. I'm the bosses favourite, he told me that much. But the thing is, he made a new department a little while ago and he spends all his time focusing on them, giving them all his praise depsite the fact that my department ''is'' and always ''has'' been doing the best in the entire company.
[[continue->05]]I just don't understand what is so great about his little project when he has enough departments who already do everything he asks. ''I'' have done everything he's asked and never once asked for anything back. A promotion would be nice, or at least a little recognition!
[["I understand your frustrations, but'->N1]]
[["Over-confidence can be dangerous'->B1]]
[[Suggest reason for behaviour->G1]]//I can understand the frustrations you have towards your boss but is it not perhaps a tad presumptuous to assume that you are more deserving than others? It is not wise to be led by your own hubris.//
[[continue->N2]]I am not being led by my hubris here, I ''know'' that I am deserving and it irritates me more than anything that I am being neglected in favour of this pet project.
[[continue->N3]]I am deserving.
[[continue->N4]]I know I am...
[["Take the time to understand'->NO5]]
[["It's wrong to put ourselves on pedestals'->BO4]]
[["Wishing for praise is natural'->GO4]]//Have you considered that it is perhaps this exact kind of prideful behaviour that is pushing your boss to focus his attention elsewhere? Your overconfidence is dangerous and is not only a risk to your immortal soul, but to everyone else around you.//
[[continue->B2]]//I'm certain that you are deserving of praise, but I believe that you must look beyond your own abilities and perhaps take the time to understand why your boss is spending his time on this new department. It may be that he must continue to nurture them in order to help them stand on their own.//
[[continue->N6]]I fail to see how me wanting a little bit of recognition is endangering my 'immortal soul'. I have worked tirelessly to get where I am, do I not deserve a reward for my efforts?
[[continue->B3]]Is it so immoral to have those who have the skills and have the experience to recieve more accolade and appreciation than those whose skills and abilities are lesser? Ignoring the proficient is dooming their light to wither and die as they see no point in continuing to be exceptional.
[[Your pride will be your downfall->BO4]]
[[Be aware of your hubris->NO5]]
[["Take the time to understand'->NO5]]//It is wrong to put ourselves on pedestals to which we have no right being on. The original sin was Pride and it is one of the most deadly, falling weak to it will only invite the other six into the hearts of man. Your overzealous attitude to putting yourself above others will be your downfall unless you change your ways and beg the Lord for forgiveness!//
[[continue->B5]]//I don't know much about your workplace or your boss but have you considered that he is focusing all his attention and praise on this new department in order to make sure that they get up and running properly? If it is entirely new then maybe he is monitoring their progress and waiting for when they are able to work without his guidence. Once they can stand on their own, he will return to putting his energy onto your department, and in turn, you.//
[[continue->G2]]Hm. You could have a point there actually but regardless I still cannot fathom why they need so much of his time in order to, as you put it, stand on their own. It just comes across that the people he has hired are about as skilled in the workplace as a five year old.
[[continue->N7]] //You were in their posisition once, were you not? You must understand that training and learning takes time and is needed for anyone coming into a new job.//
[[continue->N9]]I understand that new staff need to be trained on how to use some of the software or on how we do things but that doesn't require the boss to oversee everything. His attention should be focused on the company as a whole and not one small group of newbies!
[[continue->N10]]At this point I think, no, I //know// that I could run the company better than he can.
[["Would you want his job?'->NO11]]
[["Why risk ruining what you have?'->GO11]]
[["Be wary of your pride controlling you'->BO11]]I wouldn't waste my time on those who will spend an impossible length of time weighing down the company and taking up its resources when you could simply remove the department or hire more competant replacements.
[["You were once no better than those you scorn.'->NO8]]
[["And you know better than your boss?'->BO7]]
[["Give them a chance'->GO7]]//Would you want to take on your boss's job? Being the head of your department is one thing, managing an entire company is another thing in of itself and should not be taken lightly.//
[[continue->N12]]I'm sorry Priest, but I fail to see how begging for forgiveness will help me with my current situation. It's obvious to me that you know nothing of the business world or how things work outside of your little Holy bubble here in the Clergy.
[[continue->B6]]Perhaps if you had greater knowledge of the world outside of the confides of the Church you may understand **why** I feel this way and **why** I believe that my boss is such a blind fool for his ignorance. These new hires are a damned waste of time when he has a perfectly oiled machine working already.
[["You were once no better than those you scorn.'->NO8]]
[["And you know better than your boss?'->BO7]]
[["How can you be so sure?'->BO7]]//And you believe that you, a department manager, have greater knowledge on how to run a company than your superior, **your boss,** who has been running the company for presumably years? It is bold and foolish of you to assume that you know better than someone with far more experience under their belt.//
[[continue->B8]] //Have you no humility left in you or has pride completely clouded your judgement? Our minds our weak and evil finds its way in through the cracks in our judgement, sinking its foul fangs into our souls and poisoning them with sin. You, my child, are sick and you must rid yourself of the sin that is tainting your immortal soul lest you allow yourself to be cast down to the pits of Hell for all eternity.//
[[continue->B9]]Of course I would! Given the chance I'm pretty sure most people who jump at the oppertunity, the pay raise and benefits alone are reason enough to take the job. For me though, it'd be the chance to change things up, run things the way that I'd want them to be run. I can show my boss that his methods are not perfect and that I'm more capable than he thinks, even if I have to show him that by force.
[[continue->N13]]I'm not the only one dissatified with the new department, there's a good few people in mine and others who are irritated with how things are being run and are wanting change. I could be that change! I could take over and become the new boss, one that was chosen by the employees because of merit and not because of my family name or friends in high places.
[["Nepotism?'->N14]]
[["Is that jealousy I hear?'->N14]]
[["You think you could run the company?'->BO11]]//I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice, is there someone who has been given a more favoured position due to family or social ties?//
[[continue->N15]]Yes and no. The bosses son, he was offered the training to work alongside and then replace his father but the smug bastard turned it down. Of course he did. He's busy flying away to some Godforsaken third world country to do missionary work along with his group of company kiss-asses.
[[neutral->NO16]]//Then if the son is not interested, perhaps you could work to take the place he was offered? Show your boss that you're ready for that position by going the extra mile, perhaps offering to help with training the new department he set up might prove to him that you have the leadership skills and initiative to become the boss when he retires.//
[[continue->N17]]Look here, Priest, I came here for advice and to seek forgiveness for my sins and all I'm getting is insulted and bashed by a stereotype. You're not listening to a single thing I'm saying and if you are, you're retorting with some Hell-fearing bull. I'm going to give you one more chance Priest, otherwise I'm out of here and I will be reporting you to your higher ups.
[[continue->B10]]Now, what I have been //trying// to say is that I believe my boss to be foolish for having all these new hires who are clearly incapable of doing their jobs but yet he keeps granting them new freedoms and letting them off. My department, and all the other longstanding departments, have everything working to perfection so why did he need to create this new department? I could run this company better than the old man and I think it's time to bring that change in.
[["Would you want his job?'->NO11]]
[["Be wary of your pride controlling you'->BO11]]
[["A boss is very different to a manager'->NO11]]//Has your own sense of pride really made you think that you would be ready or capable to run an entire company just like that? Just like Lucifer himself you think too greatly of yourself and have let your hubris control you, for that I am greatly sorry. Unless you change your ways now, you will see the same fate that Lucifer did and in turn, see yourself cast down into the very same firey pits for all eternity.
[[continue->B12]]Is that all you have to say, that I'm going to go to Hell? No offer of forgiveness or way to save my soul? Hmpf. I should have guessed as much. Why on Earth I thought that you or this Church would be of any help to me I don't know, you're all as useless as I had first thought you to be. A shame really, I had hoped to at least get //something// out of this but it seems all I've gotten out of this encounter is a foul mood.
[[continue->B13]]Thank you Priest, you've been most unkind and desperately unpleasant. I do hope that at some point you can see the hypocrisy in your words and actions before you end up a //poor sinner like me.//
[[continue->B14]]And how long will tht be? This new group is so poorly equipped to handle what it is we do that he could spend months, if not, //years// trying to get them to stand on their own. And what if they can't? What if they remain in constant need of guidance? I know that my boss is too soft to close the department and have all those people lose their jobs like that. We may never have him return to us.
[[continue->G3]]I suppose it's just that I wished that he wouldn't spend so much of his time and energy on them as he is neglecting everyone else who has been loyal to him and the company for years. Are we no longer worthy of his attention or praise because he has found a new little pet project to work on?
[["Take the time to understand'->NO5]]
[["Wishing for praise is natural'->GO4]]
[["Jealousy is natural'->GO4]]//It is not wrong or immoral to wish for the praise and attention of someone to whom we once looked up to, it's very similar to what hppens to an only child when a new sibling comes along. The jealousy is natural but that doesn't mean that we should let it consume us and overrun us with feelings of bitterness and envy. I am sure that you are still very much worth the praise of which you seek and perhaps it may be worth talking to your boss about your concerns.//
[[continue->G5]]What good would talking to him do? It would only serve to show me as a clingy, attention seeker who needs 'daddies attention' otherwise he'll throw a temper tantrum and toss his toys out of the pram. I'd be a mockery if I pulled a stunt like that! Do you even know what it's like to work in an office environment? It's cut-throat and there is no complaining to mommy if things don't go your way.
[[continue->G6]]Honestly, the sooner these newbies learn that the better. Sooner or later the boss will have to leave them to stand on their own and that's when they'll crumble. It's a waste of company resources and everyone would be better off if the boss dissolved the new department or simply hired more experienced and competant employees in place of these baby-faced duds.
[["You were once no better than those you scorn.'->NO8]]
[["Give them a chance'->GO7]]
[["That was you once upon a time'->GO7]]//I can understand how this must irritate you, but you musn't forget that at one point you were fresh faced just as they are but you were given a chance and look how far you have come! Is it not worth giving these people the same chance that you were once given? They might surprise you.//
[[continue->G8]]Because not everyone gets the same oppertunities in life as despite what idealists may say, we are not all born equal and we certainly do not all get the same oppertunities given to us. Just because I got a break, doesn't mean that they will or should. Plus, I'm one person, not a while damned department.
[[continue->G9]]//That's very negative of you. Don't you want other people to succeed as you have? One of the people you are dismissing could very well be someone who could elevate the company you work for to the next level, whatever that may be. You must care for your fellow man as much as you care for yourself, Golden Rule and all.//
[[continue->G10]]The Golden Rule doesn't apply in business, Priest. In order to get ahead in this world, you have to step on a few toes and nothing is going to stop me from reaching my goal of becing the companies boss, even if I have to take it by force.
[["Think before you act'->GO11]]
[["Why risk ruining what you have?'->GO11]]
[["Would you want his job?'->NO11]]//Please think carefully before you act, you don't want your pride to overtake you and lead you down a road that you cannot back out of. You are seemingly doing very well for yourself and it would be a shame for you to lose what you have due to an unrestrained hubris.
[[continue->G12]]However unlikey it is to work I... suppose it's worth a shot. I don't doubt you Priest but you're not exactly keyed into how things really work, although that's not your fault, we both chose different paths.
[[continue->N18]]//Well I ne-//
[[continue->B15]]Oh be quiet you old fool. You've already proven yourself unworthy and I no longer find this self-righteous act to be entertaining.
[[continue->B16]]You've dug your grave so I suggest you be silent and lay in it as it'll be a darn sight more comfortable than where you're going.
[[continue->B17]]See you in hell, Priest.
[[The man leaves the booth->B18]]Bad ending.However much I hate to admit it, you were right about one thing.
[[continue->N19]]//Oh? And what is that?//
[[continue->N20]]That I really am deserving of praise. Ha!
[[continue->N21]]//...
Do you have any other sins to confess, my child?//
[[continue->N22]]Oh I've got plenty, but I've gotten all I needed from you Priest. Don't bother with the whole 'say five Hail Marys' spiel, I don't have any interest in that kind of thing and I'd really rather not go up in flames in such ruin such a lovely booth. I'd hate to ruin the woodwork.
[[continue->N23]]//Are you sure that you don't want to be absolved from your sins or at least the ones you've confessed already?//
[[continue->N24]]...
[[The man leaves the booth chuckling to himself->N25]]Neutral ending.//Obviously, I cannot force you to make certain decisions, I can only offer you council and absolve you of sin. The choice is, ultimately, yours to make, but I beg you to think on your sins before you do anything rash as it may harm your immortal soul.//
[[continue->G13]]This is no rash decision Priest, I have been thinking on this for a ''very'' long time, how else do you think I found out about the other departments dissatisfaction? It was only when the boss's son turned down the offer to train to be his father's replacement did I decide that it was time to perhaps take action.
[[continue->G14]]//So there is a space to train under your boss to become his replacement that was offered to his son but was turned down?//
[[continue->G15]]That's what I just said.
[[continue->NO16]]