Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjure
Type:
Picture
Chapter:
1-240.00.14
Germanium
Essence: a formal profession: civil servant, official.
A formal profession, civil servant, official
Germanium is the classic type of civil servant. They carry out their task pro forma, but they don’t take any real responsibility. They are afraid of being held responsible for any of their actions.
Maintaining order as a formality
They maintain the order but aren’t really interested in what they are doing. Like a teacher who lost interest long ago, who is only concerned with maintaining order so he can hold on to his job and earn a living (Sherr, ‘95). They are cruising on automatic, speaking only in cliches and commonplaces.
Formal routines: formalities
They love hiding behind formalities. As long as they work with lots of official forms they can be sure they won’t personally be held responsible for anything. They often hold back information, hiding behind a mask of perfectionism (Sherr). But they feel restricted at the same time, a prisoner of controlled movement and measured speech. They are afraid of having made a mistake after all, afraid of authorities, police, parents, teachers or directors watching them and finding out they have done something wrong.
Escaping control: estranged.
They try all sorts of ways to avoid being held responsible. They push responsibilities on to other people, wriggle out of accusations, deny their mistakes or say it was someone else’s fault etc. (Sherr 95). They feel misunderstood and useless compared to their colleagues. As if they are caught up in a fight between two parties, but it has nothing to do with them. To take the attention away from their own mistakes they’ll blame others.
They become an outsider, estranged from their colleagues and their environment. Eventually they’ll feel estranged from themselves, as if they have left their body.
Failure through irresponsible behaviour
Because they deny responsibility certain things are bound to go wrong. The outside appearance may still be there, but it is only an empty shell. They are powerless to carry out their task, but they pretend everything is fine and running as normal (Sherr). But their life has become stuck and there is nothing they can do about it. The decline is undeniable and they feel that all their efforts have been in vain. They are too tired to do anything anymore.
Expressions
Fears: failure, falling, paralysis, criticism, responsibilities, authority, police, being unmasked, opposition, observed, anticipation, violence.
Dreams: futile efforts, missing the bus, forgetting their luggage, paralysis, war, violence, victims, broken windows or mirrors, being pursued, threatened, accidents, thieves, burglars, broken locks, police, erotic, being raped, water, fire, family, brother, sister.
Delusions: mistakes, guilt, crime, coward, banned, prisoner, world is shabby, estranged, isolated, everything looks smaller or lower, time going slowly, hearing voices double, hands don’t belong to him, chaos.
Mood: weak, dull, empty, flat, indifferent, unreal, no romanticism, hopeless, helpless, gloomy, doomed, restless.
Irritability: held in; < having to answer, being abused.
mental: precise, absent minded, empty, slow, confused, forgetful, mistakes in writing and speaking, dyslexia.
Colours: brown and green.
Causes: insults, being interrupted.
Generals
Weather: cold, < cold, < mist.
Time: < 5 am.
Desires: drinks.
Sleep: yawning.
Physical: < heavy metals.
Complaints
Cancer. Malaria.
Paralysis, walking backwards, legs trembling. Ataxia, cerebellum. Difficulty speaking. Numbness. Demyelinisation of the nerves.
headaches.
Sore throats, much mucus.
Pneumonia, bronchitis, liver- and kidney injuries, hemolysis (Dreisbach).
High blood pressure. Palpitations. Anaemia !!.
Stomach complaints. Diabetes.
kidney failure.
Inflammation of joints. Amyloidosis.
DD: Iron series, Stage 14, Cysteine, Selenium.
DD metabolism affected by germanium: Cysteine, free radicals.
DD Gallium: still feels he has some say in the matter, even if it is only in certain restricted areas. Germanium feels they are only there for the show, the real responsibilities have been passed on long ago.