Chain Mail and Office Workers

Every afternoon I rush to my computer and click on my email icon. I'm always waiting to hear back on my short story and article submissions. Expectations are high. An acceptance would be nice. Even a rejection would be okay. At least then I'd know I could move on to the next market.

So I rush to my computer, sign in to my email account, and click the new messages link. Scanning the senders' names, I see my sister, my mother, and my friend, all of whom work in offices. The subject lines say, "FWD: this is cute!" or "Take this survey!" They almost always have exclamation points. I groan and delete them without reading.

I've held my share of office jobs. I know what it's like. The tedium, the politics, the cubicle walls and artificial lighting. Workers often feel isolated, bored, and tired, so they search for distractions. Reading chain email is an easy way to look busy while taking a break from the spreadsheets and business calls.

The practice of forwarding chain mail is most prevalent among office workers. Too much sitting in the same chair, punching in the same numbers, returning the same phone calls. Lack of physical and mental activity induces a trance. Chain mail breaks up the monotony. But that's the only thing it's good for.

Back when I worked a nine to five, chain email became such an issue around the office that they had to amend the policies to prohibit forwarding non-business email. That didn't stop the problem. It only slowed it down a little. I admit I forwarded my share of chain mail, but once I left the regular work life, I had no interest in it anymore. I continued to receive chain mail from my former co-workers. When I didn't respond, they finally stopped sending them.

I love receiving email from family and friends. I love to read about all the goodies in their lives, but chain mail doesn't replace personal conversation. Reading a survey doesn't tell me how my friends are feeling or how their lives are going. There is no human connection and the email becomes a time-sucking annoyance.

Once in a while my sister will ask if I read the email she sent me. And once in a while I do read it out of a sense of obligation to her, but more often I tell her I didn't have time. She doesn't understand why I don't take the time to read her chain mail. She thinks I could fit it into my schedule and she's right, but I'd rather sit down and have a conversation.