The Cubicle Times

OFFICE – As I walked past the long aisle of cubicles this morning, I noticed something unbelievable… This reminded me of the movie Slumdog Millionaire (great movie!), that these poor Indians were packed in tiny spaces doing work.  I saw two Indian contractors sitting in one tiny cubicle, programming…

At first I was just upset that a company would do this, that they came all the way from another country seeking a future in the supposedly richest country in the world, but they have to endure this type of unequal treatment.  When you have many others occupying big offices chatting away (OK, fine, sometimes they are working hard, too), these Indian contractors are elbow-to-elbow working hard in a tiny cubicle that is even smaller than mine.  But come to think about it more, maybe they feel it’s OK because it was worse where they came from (wherever they came from).  Maybe they already think that it’s an upgrade and they’re appreciating what they have been given.  Maybe the office space is still small, but they get to drive a car they leased, go to Target like we do, or take a walk on Laguna Beach on a Saturday afternoon.  Maybe it’s just not as bad as we see it…

I guess the world is just not fair, because at the same time I am sure some of the executives at my company are thinking that it’s impossible for them to sit in my cubicle for 8+ hours everyday.  It still comes down to being content and happy with who you are.  We’re all trying to move up, but there are always going to be things we cannot obtain.  My cubicle is too small and I want a bigger one; my car is too slow and I want a faster one; my yard is tiny and I want one with a pool… and the list goes on.

Maybe my Indian contractor coworkers are more content than me, and I hope they can stay content and never be polluted by these capitalistic or worldly desires… or… they can be millionaires soon? Who knows :)