Scrambling for the back bench

I am attending training sessions this week. The training provides a good opportunity for shared experiences and networking. On top of the above benefits, the training also allows me to take my mind away from the pressures of professional life. It is the right time to pause and reflect. In a way, it is an experience to revisit the school days. But there is also a marked change from what we experience in our school days.

If you remember the school days, the front rows used to get filled faster. The early birds and the studious ones used to occupy the front benches. The students who wished to stay below the radar used to go for the middle rows. The latecomers often dubbed as inept and lazy ended up in the backbench. They were the social misfits, at least according to our limited world wisdom. If you are in the backbench, you often encounter the wrath of the teacher too.

There always has been a surefire way to attain the backbench. Create mischief in the class or come late to the class. This week, I realized the equation has changed. I was neither early nor late to the class. But I found the rows at the back to be filled already by the time I reached. The front rows were empty. As a result, I had to pick one in the front row. To get a 30,000 ft view, you need to be as far as possible from the stage where the action is happening. But a scramble for the nosebleed section is something I couldn't comprehend! The irony was you come in early to get a place in the back row,

Tags: Musings, Training, Back Bench