Imma guess, DR, just reading this headline probably triggers You. Why? Because simply typing those two words together like that? It triggers Me, too.
Who gets triggered? TECH. Because TECH is the one who wants to dictate to the literal World “how You should behave” in a functional Society. “If You just do exactly as I say, at All Times, Nobody gets hurt.” DUh!
This is TECH’s POV. Specifically, TECH “in a vacuum’s” POV. TECH – probably suppressing PASSION at this moment – and displaying a complete lack of Equilibrium.
But today’s Story isn’t about any of those details. [N: Another Story for Another day loll] Today’s Story is about… wait for it… “Auto-Pilot.”
*mic drop*
I probably just triggered You again. But just wait a minute. I promise, You’ll acquire some New data here. [N: My guess]
Auto-Pilot isn’t actually ‘Bad’ – it’s like Jessica Rabbit: “I’m not bad – I’m just drawn that way.” Auto-Pilot is perceived as Bad because of My Own Historical data: Since My SB focuses more on negative incidents over positive incidents – and I totally ‘get’ it – naturally when I recall Auto-Pilot Imma focus on all the times using A-P f#cked Me up. Makes perfect sense.
I will be telling more Stories in the Future about Auto-Pilot – that’s a huge Elephant to walk around – but this Story is mostly to piece out the Reply All situation.
Immediately, when I see the Reply All words? I think “Work.” [N: You’re Right!] And then I think about those zillion emails I get in My Inbox – which may or may not have anything to do with Me, specifically – because I am added to this or that distro List in My job. [N: still Right!] Which right off the bat already annoys/aggravates TECH, who is trying to get sh#t done and “too many emails” are distracting from the task at hand.
Then – because I can’t stop the deluge of emails – I start My Work day in Auto-Pilot.
Auto-Pilot is what’s “grabbing the wheel of the car” when TECH doesn’t need to “think” or process the How of driving the car. After I’ve learned to drive – and actually driven a couple times – TECH is like, *snaps fingers* “Got it!” And A-P takes over with the technically driving of the car… allowing TECH to now focus on Navigation: where am I going? How much time do I have to get there? TECH handles all of this junk – the schedule, the tools, etc. etc. [N: in this Hypothetical Scenario, the car itself – the machinery – is the tool used to “get there”]
So back to email. Because it takes TECH way too much time to go through every single email & “figure out if this is a) important, b) relevant to Me, or c) contains some task I need to take care of”.. TECH hands that job off to Auto-Pilot. Because “if it’s important”? I’ll hear about it again, sooner or later, from My Boss or whoever. [N: this is literally the Boss’s job: to make sure the sh#t gets done]
Now, lemme tell You something about email, DR: My SB “doesn’t care” who is cc;ed – one Other Person or a hundred OP, it makes no difference to Me – because “I only care about Myself” in most cases. [N: other stuff & Other People I *do* care about? The Exception to this Rule]
And since TECH’s usual procedure for “getting an email” is to respond as quickly as humanly possible – so I can continue on with My day & My Life – Imma peripherally ‘see’ the cc:s, click “Reply All” [N: because knowing the Why all these Other People are cc:ed on this email is above My pay grade AKA “I don’t care”] and type My response to the question. And click “Send.”
Boom! Done. [N: TECH can now “move on”]
And if I am the First Replyer All of this email? I will now Influence all the Other Replyers after Me to also Reply All… because those Folks are also using Auto-Pilot.
Now, I’ve learned a few tricks of how to manage My Inbox. After the first couple times of getting any particular kind of new message, TECH reviews it closely to piece out how it affects Me, personally. If the email is FYI-esque? TECH creates a Rule to send Future emails with this Subject line to the Trash. If I get emails from another part of the company because I’m cc:ed as part of “The Billing Team” but the content has zero to do with executing My actual job on a day-to-day basis? Rule. Trash. If I get those emails that solicit for Catastrophic Requests for Me to donate My PTO to a Needy Someone? If I never have a huge PTO balance – I use My PTO the second I earn it – Imma create a Rule & send those emails to the Trash. Not because I’m “an unfeeling Monster” of that Needy Someone’s circumstances… but because I can’t do anything to help Them in this Context. [N: I never have any PTO to give away] Because in My Own Life: I have My Own needs that I am filling, using My PTO. I don’t have the luxury – or desire – to save My PTO up just to give it away to a Needy Someone. In My Own Life? I Myself am the ‘Needy Someone.’ loll
Yeah, I totally went off on a tangent there. But listen: I don’t hit Reply All & Send because I’m “stupid” or “I don’t know any better.” I hit Reply All because I have too many balls to juggle. I hit Reply All because TECH is trying to maximize My efficiency – AKA to “Not waste My Time” as much as possible, because I have a job to do here. And this job I do? It pays Me the dollars I need to buy food & keep the lights on.
“I Only Care About Myself.”
. . .
Conner’s Comments: A Future Story will tackle specifically why My Work struggles to get their phishing percentage down. *Spoiler Alert!* it also involves A-P.