On the Tyranny of Small People

or, why philosophy matters

I work for a university where I lead a portfolio of services to support the university’s academic mission. Every now and again we have town halls for the staff in the portfolio, where people present information about their area and we do a bit of Q&A.

At my first one of these, as the newbie leader, I presented a bit about my background and approach. It was largely ad-libbed. At one point I heard myself talking about my meditation practice, which frequently includes contemplating my own death. I heard myself talking about the importance of taking death seriously, of approaching every moment of your life - including your life at work - with that perspective in mind.

I immediately regretted it. All the things went through my mind. What if someone here has recently lost someone? What if someone here is contemplating suicide? What if someone here, for some reason or another, gets triggered or upset or unhappy about a leader in the university community raising such an emotive topic in a profe…