screwed

We got back last Thursday morning and by Friday night I was sitting in a small room meditating on the story of a little screw. I couldn't possibly make this stuff up.

The actual handout with the story, because otherwise you won't believe me.

Here is the story of the little screw.

Once upon a time, there was a huge ship, and somewhere deep inside the huge ship there was a very little screw. She, alongside many other little screws, held two big steel plates together. One day, right in the middle of a big ocean voyage, the little screw started to loosen and threatened to fall out. The other screws said to her, "if you go, we'll go too!" When the big steel ribs of the ship heard this, they cried "for god's sake stay put - if y'all don't hold on tight, we'll all fall apart!" And the rumor about the little screw flew through the huge ship. The ship creaked and shuddered at every joint. Then the other parts of the ship joined forces to send a message to the little screw: "Please, dear screw, stay where you are, otherwise the whole ship will burst apart and none of us will ever see home again!" The little screw swelled with pride at the news that she was so incredibly important to the huge ship and to the other parts, and decided to stay in her place. 

THE END.

My fellow contemplatives said that this is a popular story, and if you work in ministry in the German-speaking countries, you're bound to run into it at some point.

OMG GERMAN-SPEAKING PEOPLE REALLY?

I mean, the American story of the little screw might start with her falling out of a box, and she'd search the world for the one place she perfectly fit. Or maybe, like Scuffy the Tugboat, she would fall out of her wall and explore the whole big ship, only to find that nowhere but home really felt like home. But in any case, she'd have some agency! Courage! Pluck! Her fellow parts might be nice or gruff but they wouldn't lie to her to get her to stay in place, because let's face it, if one little screw falls out the whole boat does not actually fall apart...right? 

And yet...this is...my workplace in a nutshell. It's not about finding your calling, it's about living into the job you were born to. It's not about doing what you're good at, it's about playing whatever role you're being paid to play (preferably not too well so that other people have enough to complain about behind your back). It's not about agreeing with the rules of the game, it's about deeply resenting them but making darn sure that everyone else follows them, because if we didn't spend time policing each other what would we do with our lives? And no we can't deal with foreigners, why are they even here and not screwed securely into their own ships?

Goodness knows American culture probably looks to the tidy Swiss a lot like a shuddering ship about to burst...all those loose screws (not to mention that big one at the top)...

Culture shock both ways on this trip, is what I'm saying.