Misuse of Power #Metoo

By Lipa Rath

Oct 17 2018

Did I have a #Metoo moment in the Corporate HR world? Yes! If you call someone hitting on you persistently to tempt you with a “fat deal”, then the answer is yes!

I felt a deep shame that some of these people were from my “Obrah” (Oriya Brahmin/extended) community! They felt their brazen act outside of the state was okay. It’s extremely disgusting when you see these big-time so called HR honchos “suggesting” directly or in a clandestine manner.

I ask myself why am I saying this on social media? What do I gain?

The reason is: being a mother/an aunt to the younger generation how do I contribute to understand what is character and how we can reform!

Certainly these men, despite their outward success felt inadequate. They lacked something for which they needed to be secretly gratified. They may have been made to feel small and hence powerless- not good about themselves! So at the slightest opportunity they were ready to misuse their power, in order to feel powerful again.

So it all comes down to understanding our personal power- and the use and misuse of it.

I also happened to experience the contrast. While I was going through a really bad phase in my life, living alone, emotionally lost and vulnerable, I met this man from my “Obrah” community. After dinner he dropped me home, hugged me and kissed me on my forehead and left.

He used his power. And used it wisely. A sense of control over yourself- that is true power. That discrimination makes you a man, a human. Otherwise you are equal to an animal.

As responsible human beings we always have a choice to act or react to use our voice. And hence I’m using mine.

I’m completely with each one of you who has been a victim of #Metoo. I hope there’s more transparency in making these “deals” in the future.

But I have decided to take this stand. Over the years I have worked at having compassion for myself and I have, to a large extend, forgiven those who acted like predators. I will not to bring myself down to expose them.

Sadly, you can’t run away from yourself! Today they are all scared and taking pills to suppress their stress anyway. It takes courage to do the right thing. And to do the right thing is not always easy. But it pays in the long run.

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