In Part I, the manager says to Gregor’s family, “We businessmen – fortunately or unfortunately, whichever you prefer – very often simply have to overcome a slight indisposition for business reasons.” 

 How might this manager’s attitude affect Gregor’s attitude towards himself and his work? Are there times in your own life when you might need to ignore personal discomforts? In your opinion, is this a “fortunate” attitude to have, or is it “unfortunate”?

The way this manager’s attitude may affect Gregor’s attitude towards himself and his work is Gregor may come the realization that he went as far as being committed to a job that requires one hundred percent dedication, as well as social isolation, in order to provide for his family that he should not let anything stop him now. Not even becoming a bug should get in the way, or else the long days of being a travel salesmen and being socially isolated from the world would have all been for nothing.

Many times in our lives, we are going to encounter situations where we are going to have to ignore our own personal discomforts. Common situations include times when we encounter a person that we find attractive. Many times, that person have a hobby or like to do something that we ourselves do not like to do because of our personal discomforts, such as trying something new or dancing. However, in order to get closer to that person and have a good time, we have to ignore these personal discomforts and try something new because nobody wants to stop doing anything they love to do.

In my opinion, this is a fortunate attitude to have because, more often than not, people are happy that they ignored their personal discomforts and tried something new because it helped them grow as a person. Other times, this type of attitude is beneficial. When dealing with work, you receive more money in each check. In a social sense, you will meet new people and grow as a person.