avoiding the hindu pissing match
I’m going to break my own rules today and write about a personal business matter. I fear that if I don’t write about it, my little head will implode.
I did some work last summer for a group of individuals and have yet to be paid. It’s infuriating for me in a lot of ways because I valued these folks as friends. Sadly, the situation has surely killed any possibility for a future friendship.
So, I’ve been emailing them for the past year about a payment plan and at one point they stopped corresponding with me. After further failed attempts at correspondance, I dropped the 3rd party bomb – ie: if you do not respond I am hiring a collection agent.
Well, that email got me a response which included the suggestion that I’d raised my invoice amount (oh, no I didn’t) and some choice spiritual advice:
The only thing I would advise you on as far as the 3rd party involvement is involved is that what I have personally learned from life is as you create so shall you experience, a spiritual law worthy of consideration.
Wait a minute here… is it my moral compass that is broken?
In my fantasy email world, I would have replied to that sentiment with: “I appreciate your spiritual advice – my preference has always been to solve this with you directly. I’m confident that any karmic debt in this situation will find it’s rightful owner.”
But I will take the medium road and respond with honour. I say medium road because surely blogging about this will ensure some debt.
Why did I ever think freelance was a good idea??