Fortunately for C-3PO, the droids in Star Wars didn’t find out the hard way what happens when a Wookiee loses a game of holographic chess and is upset with the result. Even without a central nervous system to experience pain, somehow I feel like losing your arms or any sort of appendage as a robot is rather detrimental to successful operation.
A little background information about myself, if you know me at all, you know that I like to win. I am very competitive by nature, especially when it comes to things that I am actually good at. Winning is fun, winning is rewarding. Winning releases and stimulates endorphins and dopamine which makes me feel good. I like winning.
Which, transitively, means that I enjoy solving problems because coming up with solutions to problems is like winning. You have beaten the issue, the person, the opponent, villain, whatever moniker you want to assign your nemesis. And, to complicate matters further, not only do I like solving my own problems, but I enjoy solving the problems of others (including the ones that aren’t even brought to me). Problem solving, via competition is simply in my nature. If I am presented with a problem that I feel needs to be addressed immediately, I quickly jump into a systemic approach in how to best expediently and completely solve the issue.
It shows a lot through my job, because when I get a claim from a store that says that they did not receive said product that they were billed for, I find whatever claim is the most urgent and tackle it however I see fit. I take the necessary steps to track the product(s) across the warehouse and verify if we did in fact in most probability ship it, and if I (as the company) can wash my (our) hands of the matter. Obviously there are going to be variable responses and problems within problems popping up, but for the constant of my job is solving problems to make people happy and not misplace product in a way that benefits both the retailer and distributor.
Of course, this is completely applicable to real life, and is the reason that I brought it up in the first place. A friend of mine was having relationship struggles and brought it to the attention of my wise, sage-like fountain of knowledge that I possess. As much as I hated to admit (and admit to myself in the past), there are some things that when you’re solving problems for other people are simply beyond your control. It is the worst type of scenario (the no-win, ugh), but sometimes that’s the only card to play. There is a certain satisfaction you get when you gave everything and still lost, but there’s simply no satisfaction in the no-win situation.
I compared this to my work. On occasion, I will get a claim that is of a high amount. And sometimes, for reasons outside of my control, I will not have the appropriate information to address this claim. I know that the store making the claim is a lying bunch of drygulchers as I have proved in the past, but there are times where I simply cannot prove it. Whether it’s because their customer service rep was on vacation and we lost the palletizing video footage due to dating, or the load control paperwork was misplaced, or whatever problem may occur to hinder my investigation, the fact is that there are times when I simply cannot deny (or approve) a claim for a product that we most likely shipped and that the store most likely received. I know that they’re scheming cheats, and I know that chances are if I deny the claim that I will be right (if not evidentially), but the fact of the matter is I have to let them win.
I have to let those thieving carnies, those walking carpets, those Wookiees, win.
And by the same token, there are times in a relationship where you simply have to let the other person win. No matter the evidence in the way, no matter the mitigating circumstances, there are times where you have to care more for the person than the instantaneous solving of a problem. As I told my friend that night, there are times when you just gotta zip the lid and let your significant other have their way. Without outright telling them, send that message that they themselves and their desires are way more important to you than your need to want to solve their problems.
Sometimes, you just have to let the Wookiee win. It’s not worth getting your arms (or heart) torn out in the process.
All We Are is Entertainment 