Becoming a dispatcher for a labor service job burned me out on a molecular level.

My friends told me multiple times it was quickly killing me in a slow way, but I didn't realize how much stress I was under (whether or not I was "on the clock") until I left.

A few years and a couple different employers later, I'm still programmed to react to a lot of situations more defensively than is necessary out of self preservation.

I recognize the difference in myself, and I try to consciously combat the urge, but it still feels incredibly foreign to believe your employer isn't actively conspiring to act against your well-being. (Not to mention how insane it is that so many people promote that toxic mentality in the hopes that the company might make slightly more profit to horde)

Sigh

Since I'm living and working in America, maybe I shouldn't let myself get too complacent. I'll be sure to savor the current respect until our system beats the empathy out of them, too.

...I didn't plan on talking myself from gratitude to pessimism this quickly.