essay, owner's consciousness, daily life
I forgot to publish the article I wrote in June. I’m worried because it’s not as hot as I thought this summer, but if it’s hot, it’s good to sell ice well, and if it’s not hot, I’ll think it’s good because I’m comfortable It reminds me of the story of a mother who has a son who has a fan and an umbrella.
I had reason to rejoice in the heat and the extended summer years ago, as my father started the ice business. Ice work is extremely sensitive to the weather and seasons, so when the weather suddenly gets hot like this June, there are times when workers are in urgent need, and even in an impractical country, they are sometimes called to their father’s SOS and have to work hard.
A few days ago, I drove a frozen tower car to Gangwon-do for ice delivery, and my dad took me to assistant because of the heavy delivery. The truck, which carries a full load of ice and goes around the winding Hwacheon mountain path, feels different just sitting in the passenger seat. By the time I got used to the feeling that the car wouldn’t go forward even if I stepped on the accelerator with all my strength, and that I would fall down when I turned a curve, I arrived at a mart in the town. Now all it had to do was put boxes of ice in the frozen warehouse of the mart.
Here’s a question. If you thought it was a mart employee’s job to put things in the warehouse when they arrived at the mart or a delivery man who brought them in? If you thought it was simply a mart employee’s job to deal with, consider the trivial power relationship in this daily life. The mart is the one who pays for the goods, so the mart is the “customer” here. What if you decide not to buy things at the mart because of this? The delivery man is in a pretty awkward position. So the drivers usually take down the goods and pile them in the warehouse.
The first mart employee made full use of his position to tell us what to do and put things in the warehouse. He even went so far as to get angry, asking why he was so frustrated with his work. You don’t even budge! My father was a boss, not an engineer, so I could refuse to ask him to display things in the mart, but it was a very unpleasant experience. This is the power trip. People with high status and strong power are not the only ones who overuse power. Even in this trivial and temporary power relationship, power abuse could occur.
As he headed for his next destination, Dad said he wouldn’t have done that if the person who was hit by us were the mart owner, not the employee. I thought the owner might add to the staff, but in the next town I could understand that. The small mart in Hwacheon-eup actually caused us quite a hassle. The goods had to be raised to the second floor, but the loose stubbornness of which seemed to be working could not carry much ice, so they had to work three or four times. But the owner kindly greeted us and helped us move things together, so I didn’t feel too tired. Even after work, he handed me a bottle of cool drinks one by one (and my dad foretold this in advance!).
Dad talked about the difference between the owner and the employee. In other words, they live by treating others like that, and even at that age, they work part-time at a mart. But I was a little confused whether the position was making people or finding them. In a way, an employee is more comfortable than a boss. One way or another is to earn money and handle only what is given. My work is also troublesome and busy, so you don’t have to step up and do anything you can pass on. However, the president’s job is more complicated. There is nothing good about forming a bad relationship with the people who trade, and if the relationship goes sour and the ice supply is cut off, the supermarket owner is also embarrassed.
Even so, it’s actually simple. When it’s unclear who’s work is, shouldn’t we help each other? If someone is whining and moving their luggage, what power relationship or position will be needed to go and help them? Such a difference in mindset will make a difference in the trajectory of one’s life. These days, the word “owner’s consciousness” has been downgraded to the word of the old men, but the sarcastic remarks about what kind of owner you have when you’re not the owner were probably too shallow to think about.