Sitting in a New York Diner downtown, two friends suddenly bumped into each other. Two guys who waving their hands around and slapping each other on the back and hugging each other whilst they were still talking over each other at what a wonderful coincidence this was – you get the picture. Then the laughter. It was genuine outbursts of happy crying laughter and lifted up everyone else around them with its spontaneity, pure pleasure and tears.
At the other end of the Diner a couple of nicely dressed women kept their appointment with each other. You could tell it was an appointment partly, due to absence of warmth, laughter and touching. They ‘faux’ kissed each other on each side of their faces – though their lips never touched the other ones’ cheeks. They made ‘Mwah’ noises and sat politely facing each other and fidgeting with their fingers and clothing. I was already bored – the other two were more interesting and they were more genuine.
I looked back at the men and they were now remembering when. Their faces wreathed with smiles and real affection for each other: I wanted to run over and give each one of the guys a big hug. I remained seated of course but the temptation was there. Why?
Not long after that I was wandering through The Louvre Art Museum in Paris, France. Walking past the more obviously famed and lauded artists, like – Picasso; van Gogh; da Vinci; Rembrandt; I looked, instead, for the works of Johannes Vermeer whose The Girl with the Pearl Earring fascinated me, as did his The Milkmaid and Studies of a Young Woman; another artist – some of whose work gave me pleasure – was Whistler; or to give him his correct title, James Abbot McNeil Whistler. I particularly appreciated the work he had put into his Whistler’s Mother.
In this wonderful old Museum, of World renown, there were many people trying to quietly ooh and aah and so on. They’d fling their arms in gestures of appreciation, make umming sounds; cocking their heads to one side and even gesturing by placing their feet in specific positions. Female hands were carefully draped on hips so that long nails could be displayed, male heads flung back and, all these quiet movements; these noiseless postures were put into entertaining and impressing their companions because they were not looking at any paintings or sculptures.
Leaving them to enjoy their posing, I had moved on to the Tudor Monarchy of England, looking at portraits of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - not so much noting the artist thereof, as much as how the art made me feel. One of the young lady redheads had run over to quickly speak with me “Come and join us; Our Guide knows all the important ones to see”. I said thank you for her kind offer but I was off on my own, “you’re very brave” she said plucking at the buttons on her bodice and tossing back her red hair. She slowly left us, laughing and shaking her head.
Normally I would have flown straight back to England. But I had a few more days left before I need to return and I wanted to look at a couple more things.
Not long after than I happened to be in Berlin and whilst drinking in the beauty of the Brandenburg Gate and all its Napoleonic history, Brandenburg Gate became the main venue for the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall or "Festival of Freedom" on the evening of 9 November 2009. The high point of the celebrations was when over 1000 colourfully designed foam domino tiles, each over 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall, were lined up along the route of the former wall through the city centre. The domino "wall" was then toppled in stages converging here; I realised I could not move out of Berlin until I’d returned to Checkpoint Charlie to spend some time in remembrance and prayers for those who’d been slaughtered on the altar of greed and prejudice. Not only in the last World War but also for a great many years after that during the famous Cold War.
During the WW11 and Checkpoint Charlie fame the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie became a term more than something regarding aesthetics. Check Point Charlie was situated in a small place in the Berlin Wall; which stood firm from 1947-1991 during the Cold War (the spy war) when it was pulled down. Checkpoint Charlie was a very small couple of bricks in the wall which, when a small person squeezed themselves in sideways, if they were small enough, they could pass.
But during its useful time of operation Checkpoint Charlie caused and saved the deaths of many thousands of people. Further I believe Checkpoint Charlie has been mentioned in thousand of spy books and even received a mention in Ian Flemings’ James Bond’s Casino Royale!
I’d heard about all these places and people whilst I was a small child and I used to think it was all very exciting and glamourous. Back then people didn’t talk about the death rumours that surrounded it; they didn’t mention the massacres that took place because of the betrayal and information passed at Check Point Charlie.
I was lying in bed thinking of the activities of the last few days. The men in the Diner in America fully enjoying the chance encounter. I enjoyed in turn watching them and their spontaneous happiness. The females in the Diner, behaving like slow moving models in a play they weren’t enjoying. I didn’t enjoy the false women and were glad when they left.
Then there were the young overly opinionated people who got their opinions from the Museum’s very own Guides. My enjoyment there was making my own opinions and following my own pleasure.
Lastly the juxtaposed Brandenburg Gate and its noble lines with all its clean, honourable design and interpretation of honour in battle, sitting right on top of the checkpoint Charlie section of the Berlin Wall where spies from the Cold War would hang around to beg better deals on the massive massacres of enemy troops – whomsoever happened to be your enemy at the time. So that they could take the bow to the few remaining for dishonouring their rights and refusing them life.
The whole of the few last days had been quite bizarre and I was glad to be returning to
London, England – where I wold be staying for the next few months. I thought to myself that people were becoming more hypocritical that I’d realised.
I wasn’t surprised when I saw the little redhaired girl and a few of her poser companions from L’ L’ouvre. She was trying to tell me that she thought we’d all been observed and tested and that I’d probably failed. ‘OK ‘I thought ‘first I want to know more of the details of this test’.
We were all invited into a large conference room with headphones, pen and paper, muffins, etc. No surprise, almost all of us were there. In turn they asked all of us about our movements, where we went, what we did and why we did them. All of us had to be honest as there was no way of knowing which lies to tell that would benefit you.
I said I lived for myself alone and tried to enjoy every moment. I knew I only had one life so I should live it for me and no one else. They did ask me about the paintings and why I’d chosen them and who were their Painters, etc, and history, but I knew I was quite safe there.
Whatever you do, do it because it makes you feel good; because you want to do it and you don’t need a reason, simply a desire to do it.
After a great deal of back and forth and hobbledy hoy, the people in charge made their decisions.
Turns out that I would be the main Team Leader in Europe: my team were to be the two guys and the two women at the diner, plus all the cast at L’Louvre Museum and the remainder from the Brandenburg Gate and Check Point Charlie.
The adventure to undertake the most effective assessment of middle management European staff teams was so successful that I heard they went on to utilise similar tests and comparable trials for many years after.
You don’t have to have gone through all that to be able to use Naartjie Legal CRM successfully. All you need is to want to do it. Looking back however, it’s amazing what types and how many tests were created and participated in and tolerated in order to get almost the same results as Naartjie Legal CRM can get for you nowadays.
In this article I’m glossing over a period of more than a hundred years with as much finesse as hopping over a flee, because it’s that easy. Naartjie have not only brought us up to date, over the last few years, but they have a whole store full of add ons later for when you need them.
Submitted October 10, 2019 at 08:01AM by naartjielegal https://ift.tt/2M4FVIi
No comments:
Post a Comment