by Maddy Costa
thank you so much for your
diligent and conscientious
very good quality
time and energy
we received a high number
84
130
700
900
all of these numbers are real
of applications
are people
which has made this a very competitive process
people searching for something
on this occasion
searching for meaning perhaps or a sense of value
but mostly searching for something to pay the rent with
or the mortgage with or the electricity bill or something
to buy strawberries with or cherries or falafel
or the ingredients for a lemon cake or soap or toilet roll
or a pair of trousers and or a ventilation fan and what to do
when the washing machine breaks or the kettle breaks
or a chunk of the ceiling collapses or the toilet pipe breaks
spreading sewage across the floor what then
is it back to washing clothes in the sink boiling water in a pan
how when the electricity is turned off what can be let go of
what can be walked away from how to remember
how lucky it is to have water that runs from a tap
every hour of the day a floor a ceiling even if
the person who owns the floor and the ceiling is using
that money (you) to shore up their own life even if
the people in charge of the water the electricity
are swindlers and liars even if
breathe now breathe now breathe
you have not been successful
breathe
we will not be offering you an interview
we weren’t able to select you
breathe
we are unable to provide feedback
we wish you every success
success is not a singular destination
but a journey achieved through vision
consistent action
growth mindset
adaptability
resilience
it slithers, that word resilience
demands acceptance to conditions that aren’t supportive
loving nourishing kind
what if resistance instead of resilience
what if adaptability not to refusal and rejection
but adaptability from competition
from scarcity mindset
from striving to make others' lives comfortable
or what if it were that but towards equality not hierarchy
what if the vision were for community not for self
be positive
accept that things are happening
that you can’t do anything about
focus your time
and energy
more productively
re-evaluate your needs
what if the hierarchy of needs were deconstructed
what if no one anywhere could self-actualise
if anyone anywhere lived in violence crime war
what if stable environment financial security
were given to all without having to ask
without having to protest strike risk being imprisoned
without having to work strive struggle fight cheat lie exploit
what if the work were of gardening cooking creative conflict
learning to speak each other’s languages
learning to tend to teach to share
what if the time and energy of hustle
could be the time and energy of care
we wish you the best in your search
we hope to consider some future
*
Text borrowed from an AI summary of how to achieve success in life, online guidance on building resilience, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and several failed job applications.
Maddy Costa makes things with words. She is a co-organiser of Something Other
Something Other 