Being Dwight Schrute

Yes, I finally finished watching Office and it should have been a personal achievement finishing a show sooner if only I wasn’t deprived of Broadband access. I was working with my Mobile Data for over a month and I didn’t want to waste it by watching a TV show. Anyways, I finished it and towards the end, I was kinda emotional. I mean I from someone who couldn’t sit through 5 episodes of Office to someone who got emotional after the show got over.

Can’t sit through 5 episodes of #TheOffice straight. Is it only me?
I’m feeling terribly sleepy.

Of all the characters Dwight. K. Schrute is one of those formidable characters I would remember forever in the days to come. During the initial days of the show, he came around as an annoying person just like his boss Michael Scott, who is stringent for rules but over the course of 9 Seasons, there were numerous lessons he taught us for life and on the professional front too, not to deny his toxicity.

A friend/Colleague you can rely upon:

You often don’t find someone as your best bud at work. Most times, they are just office buddies but apart from that, we don’t give them space in our lives as much as we do to our School or College friends. Dwight kind of breaks that, he worships Michael Scott but there are numerous instances he has been a very good friend, even though Michael throws everyone under the bus often, Dwight sticks to him throughout. Even when Dwight meets Michael on his Wedding day after two years, we clearly see how much Dwight missed Michael.

Being Street Smart:

We often overlook being street smart, even on the show, Dwight is shown as someone who is over-enthusiastic and at times narcissist for showcasing his skills. Truth be told those skills can come in handy anytime. Right from him hiding weapons across various locations in the office to creating a panic situation in the office to teach them Fire drills. He simply mocks others for being lethargic in everything and not ready to learn important life skills

Being proud of his roots:

Dwight is really proud of his roots and that’s one of the admirable qualities in him. Dwight is a perfect example of someone ready to change as society evolves but at the same time go backs to his roots and be proud of them. Yes, there is the toxic side of the proud display of roots but on a whole, it is okay to hold on to the history, make necessary changes and grow but not stay stagnated.

Being the best at his role:

Sometimes Dwight might come across as some arrogant, rural guy but as a Salesman, at Dunder Mifflin, he is really one of the top Salesman. There were multiple occasions where he proved to be the best Salesman, where he shows extreme professionalism with his clients. There have been a lot of questionable things which he did but we’ll come to that later.

Love not Love:

Although Dwight and Angela’s story came to a positive end, there have been various instances where Dwight literally saw Angela as a baby-carrying machine. I believe that might be a reason for her choosing Andy over Dwight for marriage. Truth be told Dwight and Angela are made for each other, they are toxic, egotistical, and proud of their ways. They treated each other badly. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy for them? Yes, I felt bad when the Senator used her but it is surprising that she didn’t see it earlier.

Getting comfortable as a Sales Rep:

Yes, I know it’s a show no doubt but in real life when someone stays in the same company in the same role for more than a decade, they get comfortable in the role and there is no room for growth. Even though Dwight wants to become a Manager, he never showed initiative as Jim did. When Jim approached the Senior Management and became a Manager, all Dwight did was try and bring him down. When finally he got to become a Manager, he screwed up by firing a gun inside the office. It took so many years for him to become a Manager, that too when David Wallace got to know, Dwight’s love for his work and workplace. This leads to our last point.

Develop your skills:

It’s always good to showcase your skills to the world. If we keep it to ourselves, we will never reach the place we want to be. This is a personal lesson for me. Dwight has been acting crazy throughout the entirety of the show barring the last few episodes. Even though he was a great Salesman, he doesn’t; have leadership qualities in him to become the Regional manager, people doubted him even Michael Scott because someone like Michael thinks Dwight is an idiot should tell you. So, don’t get comfortable in your role, Upskill yourself constantly, be on top of your game, take initiatives that would prove your leadership quality.

On the whole, Dwight is a weird character but made the show enjoyable with his antics. These are some of my observations about Dwight what were yours? If you like this post, lemme know in the comments, I’m considering writing about other characters as well on the same lines.

Ciao 😇

Originally published at https://www.chennaikaaran.com on August 12, 2021.