I’ve started reading this book that has been on my book shelves since 1993 (there’s a story to why and how it came to my hands which is one for another day).

However, now in 2023, thirty years later, I felt compelled to read it.

I have long since accepted that books come into our lives at certain times, or that you’re compelled to read them at certain times in your life.

I’ve felt that there’d be a time and place for Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. The time is now, when I’ve been out of the business world for six months and my mind is now, finally, crystal clear.

When a book comes into your life at a certain time, only then do you see strong parallels to what you’re experiencing in your own life. When this happens, reading becomes a reflective journey. One in which the protagonist ceases to be a character on a page, and instead you become them – you ARE the character.

You can’t help but think that some force in the universe dropped this book into your lap so you could read and shed light into your own life situation.

That’s why I love reading so much especially books that have deep themes that resonate strongly with what we see and experience on our own world and life.

Although initially difficult to get into especially the first 50 or so pages, once you’re in, you’re in. From there your brain is firing off memories of all the other absurd Catch-22 situations in your life especially within your working life.

The glaring circularity of the arguments and absurdity in this book is an indication of the idiotic nature of bureaucracy and hierarchy. Stuff that many people go through daily in their work situations.

Some people believe the absurdity in work early enough. They are the ones promoted, supported and lauded. They are given gongs, titles, budgets, and benefits.

Others see the situation they’re in and find ways to profit from it in their own way through secret side meetings, connections and alliances playing people up against each other. Meanwhile others play by the rules so much in the end, disliked by everyone they end up isolating themselves to become recluses. Others do the bare minimum, just enough to be under the radar (in the military we called them “grey men”) and others (like me), have idealistic views and question the status quo.

I learned my lesson very late.

I should never have questioned the status quo.

I should have learned to play the game of business and organisations and accept Catch-22 as the genius and most logical business rule that was ever devised because let’s face it, in a business situation, anyone who questions must never succeed because they’re disrupting the very system that many are using for their own gains.

I’m reading this book and recalling some of the utterly inane situations I was in both in the military and the corporate world realising that I was Yosserian in both and hence why I always came to against trouble.

I did my “missions” that my managers and leaders asked of me. Those missions kept increasing based on me doing a good job and yet, I was still waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. They thought I wanted more missions/challenges/projects, new roles, money, extra leave but what I really wanted to see was a system change – and one that starts directly from them first.

I wanted them to openly question the status quo too.

Yossarian and the quotes in this book basically describes my corporate working life.

As a side note, yesterday I was pinged by my WordPress account that someone mentioned my name. It turned out to be a spam account pointing to an article by Harold Jarche @hjarche who mentioned me in a post Warts and All he wrote some time ago which also reiterated this. I’m no stranger to coincidences happening in my life and this confirmed my thinking on this matter.

Here is the definition of Catch-22 as it’s in the book but you can see it’s obvious links to what we can experience in our working situations. 👇

I’ll have a full review of this book in my YouTube channel Life Lessons in Books.

Now I have a feeling of dread that all Yosserians out there – especially in the business world – those who choose to question the status quo can either go two ways: stop questioning and play the game.

Or leave.

You know which one I decided to do.

Quotes from the Book

The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.” “It doesn’t make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who’s dead.” “[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.” “Insanity is contagious.”

When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don’t see heaven or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and every human tragedy.

You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don’t like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate.”
“Consciously, sir, consciously,” Yossarian corrected in an effort to help. “I hate them consciously.

There was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to.

When people disagreed with him he urged them to be objective.

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity trust upon them.