Non Illegitimi Carborundum

The title of this piece is the personal slogan of the late General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell. Roughly translated: "Don't let the bastards grind you down." We face many stressors in everyday life: long commutes, family conflicts, financial stressors, imperfect health, bad weather, to name some. For many who I know, loss of a job is a recent stressor. Whatever you want to call it: reduction in force, work redesign, or re-engineering; I have lost my job three times over the years to this, and it is never easy nor pleasant.
Many of my co-workers are now facing this trial in a process that, to many, does not seem to follow any rational stream of logic. Regardless of why it is being done the way it is being done, the people who are effected are faced with the choice of trying to do what they can to stay on or walking away. I have spoken to several who are on the "RIF List" and the vast majority are angry and feel devalued. One day, they are working hard to contribute to the success of the organization, they next day they are told they can (and are) being replaced by nothing. Even if asked to come back, many have said they would never do so because of how they felt they were treated. It is doubly sad because many of these people have the skills, knowledge, experience, and compassion that is so desperately needed to rebuild what has been lost.
Although the idea of being out of a job is daunting, opportunities exist. You may take a job that pays less but that does not involve a long commute. You may take a job you don't really like, but it pays the bills while you continue to look for a job you might like more. Work doesn't have to be pleasant, it just needs to be tolerable; and there is more to life than just work.
Keep in mind that the people making the decisions about who has a job and who doesn't  probably don't know most of us as individuals and probably don't care. Making decisions like this can be difficult for some, but thinking that we are just a number is easier to believe from our perspective.
Those who are choosing to walk away and take a different path have my respect for their willingness to take a risk and try something different. Vinegar Joe would approve.