This week there was a news story about a man who had a total melt down while on the job. He had been a flight attendant for Jet Blue for several years. He stated that a passenger struck him in the forehead with a carry on from the overhead bin. From there the story seems to be a bit of a “he said she said” type scenario since 40 passengers that were interviewed did not confirm the story of the flight attendant.
None-the-less, this man had a melt down over what he perceived the incident to be, he said some choice words to the passengers, grabbed some beer, pulled the emergency shoot and slid off the plane (thank goodness they were on the ground when this occurred.)
There are many in the media as well as people I have talked to who are hailing this man as “the working man’s hero.” Really? A hero for bad behavior?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know of many people who haven’t at one time or another dreamed of standing up in a meeting and saying “I’ve had it, I Quit” and walk out never to return. Maybe even dreamed of telling your boss just exactly what you think of him then walking out. But as mature individuals, with financial responsibilities that not the best approach to a situation. I guess the key word in that last sentence was “mature.”
There is a reason I won’t publish the name of this man from Jet Blue, I don’t think what he did was right and he should not be rewarded by seeing his name in print. Besides anyone who has been following the news can figure it out since I mentioned Jet Blue. Yes, I know working with people day in and day out is stressful. Let’s face it, we have all gotten frustrated when traveling, in a restaurant, at the car mechanics, or anywhere else there are a number of people trying to get services. We are all under extreme stress in this day in age. We are overwhelmed and stretched too thin with our jobs, home life, finances, and lack of time to get it all done. Our patience are worn down to the nub. However, that does not give us as consumers/customers the right to beat up on the person or people attempting to provide us service. Nor does it give those providing that service the right to go off on us either.
There are ways of handling stress and throwing a temper tantrum like a three year old is not the proper way to express our feelings. You know days, weeks many times months ahead of time that you are feeling stressed out. That is the time to take a few days off work to unwind a bit. If that doesn’t help then I would highly recommend contacting your employer EAP (Employee Assistance Program) for some counseling, most large businesses offer this type of service for free. If you are in a smaller company and those type of services are not offered, seek out a counselor, or go talk to your pastor, friend, spouse, someone…..talk it out. There are self help options available, one of which is an excellent ebook by James Klotzle titled “God In Our Stress – A Christian Guide to Stress Management“ actually regardless of the level of stress you have right now, this book is really a must read for everyone I highly recommend it. It is very cost effective, I think around $10 and worth every penny. Anyway I digressed a bit there, most people just need to talk out or properly think out their frustrations, once it is out and not bottled up you will be amazed how much better you will feel.
The bottom line is what this man did was totally wrong. He embarrassed his employer, as well as himself, although I don’t think he is capable of realizing that. It is clear he needs some sort of counseling, but let me be clear on this point, what he did, how he acted out his feelings was not that of a man who should be considered “the working man’s hero.” He is an example of what not to do. He is an example of how NOT to act out your stress and emotions. He is NOT a hero, in my opinion he is a selfish and self centered individual. His actions could have hurt someone, and I am sure he never considered that. It was not Jet Blue’s fault, it was not the passengers fault, his actions were his own responsibility and they were a very poor example of how we as human beings act in times of stress.
Somehow through all this I pray this man will seek the proper help, that he will gain just a bit a maturity through this event. I pray that we as a society will not glorify bad behavior but rather call it what it is, an example of what NOT to do.
Thinking about our own personal lives, how are this man’s actions any different than that of a spouse of decides they are going to leave a marriage because they are “fed up?” If you are considering walking out please reconsider. Seek help, counsel, talk out what you are feeling. Don’t let your anger fester to the point where you pull the shoot on your marriage or your job for that matter without doing it the right way. It is easy to just slid away, but as you see now in the example of the Jet Blue guy, he now has to deal with the consequences. Lawyers are involved, he may lose his job (rightfully so). Once everyone stops touting him as a hero and the 15 minutes of fame are over, what will he have? A bad reputation.
Again, this is example is no different than when a spouse leaves the home sure there are the “15-minutes” of fame and glory, but sooner or later the reality will hit as to the type of person you really are. Who you represent to your friends and family whom you left behind. Your character is out in the open exposed for all to see. Then what do you have?
