Bitter much, spare me.

From the overused idiomatic expression, I have been thinking if the recent turn out of events can be well considered as a perfect example of the subject. A supposedly healthy competition which I think resulted to a bitter one. 

 

We all know that life is a race and from time to time, we encounter competitions from the small ones like parking spaces to a rather huge and delicate stuff. Job vacancies, for example. A friend of mine recently told me about a newly opened US-based firm here in our locality. As opportunity-driven and go-getter as I am, I immediately applied through e-mail, and apparently, got accepted. 

But then the story was not as easy as it seemed. My two colleagues applied too. Unfortunately, one copied my resume format, with all the font type, font size, margins, arrangement of details and even the indention. I could have been furious. It was plagiarism. That resume was supposedly my trademark. I have had that format ever since I learned how to creatively advertise myself way back in my English class in college. But I thought may be I could let it pass, after all, he swore he would submit another entry with another format. He did actually.

We were all interviewed on the same day but with different time slot. The colleague who copied my resume was interviewed first, before my time slot, then the last one was our other colleague. I almost thought I wouldn't make it, I was almost late, and I did not prepare any answer to the possible questions. I admit I had a set of possible questions studied beforehand, given actually by the same colleague, but every time I'd think for a perfect answer, I could not come up with any, so I decided to go with the flow and just be myself. I think I have handled it well, apparently, my application was a success, I received an email about a possible position while my two other colleagues did not receive any. It was supposedly not a big deal, or so I thought.

Things went worse when I would hear bitter comments like, I got accepted because I'm a woman and the interviewees were men, stuff like those which involves how I dressed up, in other words, he noted a lame reason for my acceptance. I would not have made a big fuss out of such negative feedbacks, but then, he was too coward, and too bitter to have ranted it over to someone who maliciously spread those small stuff which eventually reach my ears. The worst thing is, he even made a lot more stories which are beyond what I expected from a professional like him. 


I guess other details should remain undisclosed as I still prefer to leave a mark of moral values in his personality.

Yes, I got accepted, but no, I won't be explaining how and why I think I got the slot, that would be the sole job of the interviewees who, I guess, found a potential in me. I would not say I am smart, because I believe that the moment I consider myself brilliant, that would be the moment I'd have to be dull. All I want to emphasize is that, losing entails an act of humility. When you lose, you are supposed to acknowledge your weakness, and not point-out the flaws or even the strength of others which you think caused your defeat. It is all about you, no one else but you, not me and neither the judges. In a running race, for example, when you place second, you don't blame the first one to have defeated you because he runs faster, you have to blame yourself because you ran slower than he did. It's always a matter of perceptions and viewpoints.

I managed to let go of his plagiarism with my resume, even this, I know I ought to forgive. It's Christmas, and instead of counting all the bad experiences, I should remember all the blessings received and the coming ones. But trust will never be restored. I have finally uncovered his concealed identity. It's not always right to hate people, but I am making sure I am not hating him, I just don't care removing him from my so-called trusted friends.