Book learnin.

As a teenager, I spent a good deal of time with a friend of a friend, as it was a package deal. He was a sweet soul, but I suspect his IQ would have put him in the "dull normal" range, if that.
 We also had a character in the neighborhood that would walk a certain road, all day long. He wore black all year long, even in the summer heat, and looked like Bat Masterson (Google it). I never knew if he had a destination, or purpose, I only know when I saw him, he was walking pretty much the same stretch of road.
 My friend/friend we'll call him Albert, said he had had several conversations with, we'll call him Carl, and that he was a SMART man, professing to have several degrees in this, that , and the other. It would not have taken much to convince Albert of this. He told us that Carl would talk about " crazy stuff" and make "no sense at all". He apparently enjoyed these conversations with Carl, because he would try and repeat the conversations he'd had, and yes, they "made no sense at all". We never knew if they did or not, or if it was a case of something being lost in the translation. After he would regale us with one of his conversations with Carl, he would repeat that Carl had "all these degrees" then thoughtfully pause and say, "you know, that book learnin'll make you crazy!"
  I have to say, I think he might be right. I have been the target of some management techniques that I abhor. Some placed me in the position of losing a battle because of my integrity, some had me defending myself against the accusations of a person who's greatest joy came from reporting a partially understood event as the entire truth. I have been given choices that if I took one road, I would be screwing over someone who I cared about, and who I trusted. If I took the high road, I would be suffering, myself. And the powers that be seemed to think I was unaware that this was the plan, all along. Other choices had me moving on  to prevent further injustices.
 One of the hardest things a new nurse has to learn, is when following the rules is NOT in your patient's best interest. The same is true of a valued, competent employee. I have found that when the chips are down, some people's lack of humanity comes to the surface, but in the majority of cases, best behavior is what you see all around you. Support, loving concern and constant presence are what you know is there for the taking.
 "Political Correctness" has gotten so far out of hand , it is laughable. Just because you change the words in saying something, doesn't change the meaning. Often, changing the wording muddles the understanding, or impact.The psychological evaluation of someone is done without the entirety of their personal data. A conclusion is reached based on this and the bias of how the evaluator thinks that person  might react in any given situation. It's only human for that to happen. It only takes one person to poison the safe, secure feeling you have had in your time of need. I'm not talking about the stupid remark that may be made because a well meaning person just didn't know what to say.
Care must be given to not react to something when that person cannot possibly know how you feel. The depth of your pain, the depth of your despair, the depth of your exhaustion can't be felt, or even imagined by the person who may be placing you between a rock and a hard place. Recognize that past behavior, and past reactions will be expected, no matter how much you feel that "this is different".
 Both sides need to know this , and do what they can to soften the situation. Take the high road. Better to be wrong that way than the other. Show your humanity, and walk away from those who think they have "degrees" that entitle them to label you. Don't make decisions based on what you think a person, or organization will do in any given situation. People are human, and they will most often, take the high road themselves. You teach people how to treat you. Sometimes the choice you make is between what you perceive as the lesser of two evils, but life is like that.
 Never, ever lose sight tho, of those who would fight bears for you. Just don't expect them to fight a whole den, that is too much to ask. Actively forget the slights you feel have been done to you, and move on. Just don't forget the potential for future similar behaviors, and don't leave yourself open to be caught unaware again. "Take care of business", and this will be less likely to happen. But.....fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. If you value me at all, don't fool me, period.
And don't think that what you learned in a book about human nature is more valuable than what you learn about human nature from humans.