When the Keys Rattle, Will You Be Ready?

I’ve always found the Japanese culture somewhat interesting, so when I ran

across an article recently about the way capital punishment is doled out, morbid curiosity found me reading the story.

It seems in Japan, all those charged with murder are tried by jury, and 99% are found guilty. The only means they employ as punishment is hanging. There is no other way to be put to death by the government in this country. You are not given a choice in the matter once you have been convicted. You are taken away from the court and led to your cell and wait your turn.

The gallows are located in a room that is rectangular in shape. One end of the rectangle is glassed off. This is where the few witnesses in attendance watch the condemned receive their punishment. Halfway between this room and the wall at the back of the death chamber are two blue squares, a larger one surrounding a smaller one. The smaller blue square is the trap door. Directly above the trap door is a recessed area in the ceiling where the noose hangs from a sturdy block.

The witness chamber as well as the ceiling are painted stark white, while the remaining walls are wood paneling. No one outside those who are members of the judicial system know where this room is located, including the country’s press.

The prisoner’s families are not notified of the execution until after it has been carried out.The nation’s press is not informed until the sentence has been carried out either. In fact, and what I found to be the most interesting aspect of this secrecy, the inmate is not told of his impending doom until just moments before he is led to the gallows.

I can only imagine the anxiety one must feel every time keys are jangled outside the cell door.

“Is today the day?” they must ask themselves any time a shadow darkens the space below the cell door.

“Are they here to change my linen or just to check on me? Are they bringing my meal or some message of hope? Or perhaps it’s the doctor come to give me an exam of some sort.”

The point is, they simply do not know what the next visit means.

As I read this article it occurred to me that many employees are in a similar condition, with the possible outcome being every bit as disconcerting as it is with these Japanese convicts. And while the odds are pretty good that their manager is not there to lead them to the gallows, losing one’s position can feel like death’s beckoning call. Not a mortal death per se, but certainly the end of one’s career future.

If you presently shudder every time you hear the clickety-clack of the heels attached to a highly polished pair of dress shoes, it may be time to get your affairs in order. One of the best ways to escape the career hangman’s noose is to make sure you have a resume that will help make your journey into the great unknown a little less frightful.

By Rob Poindexter, CareerTrend Pontificator