I Quit

 

I’ve been thinking about how to deepen my “Three Layer Model of Right and Wrong.” Specifically, is there a way to apply it so that my choices are always right—not just situationally, but in a way that holds up under pressure, over time?

To explore this, I decided to use a dilemma I’m currently facing: Should I quit my job?

I’ve built a small retirement corpus that can generate a bare-minimum monthly income. I could survive on it, but just barely—it would mean cutting expenses down to the bone, with no surplus. Survival, yes. Comfort, no.

Meanwhile, my job has turned toxic. I’ve spent nearly a decade at this company. Under the old management, the focus was on keeping the customer happy. Under the new regime, it’s about rigid process. That shift alone was jarring.

Add to that my ADHD: it simply doesn’t tolerate imposed structure. I can get any job done—but not in the way they want it done. My brain doesn’t work that way.

This friction has escalated. My manager once threatened to fire me if I didn’t fall in line. Told me even junior engineers were better than me. I told him to go ahead—fire me, give the job to them. They didn’t. I’m still here, senior and technically skilled, but alienated.

It’s gotten so bad I want to quit today. Now. This second.

I recently saw someone walk away from their job without any real backup plan—and I envied him.

After speaking to my parents and a couple of trusted friends, I decided to stay—for now. I fell back on a personal mantra that’s helped me survive this long: “Let them kick me out if they want to. I’ll keep doing my job my way.”

This mantra has kept me going for ten years—a rare feat with ADHD, where job retention is notoriously hard. But now, even that mantra feels weak. I need clarity. I need to know whether quitting is truly right.

So I decided to run this decision through my own model.

Step 1: Intent

• To quit my job in pursuit of peace.

Step 2: Consequence Evaluation by Layer

• Layer 1 – Personal Benefit
• Quitting would free me from a toxic environment, and that relief would bring peace. That’s a strong short-term benefit.
• However, the financial base isn’t strong. My corpus allows for survival, not thriving. Long-term peace may not be sustainable—minimalistic living could lead to boredom, frustration, or stagnation. 
• Layer 2 – Social Responsibility
• On one hand, I do get to spend more time with my parents.
• But on the other, I have a duty to support them who may need medical or financial help. Quitting undercuts that. 
• Layer 3 – Wisdom of the Masses
• Mass perception tends to be consequence-based. If you quit and remain visibly “well-off,” it’s seen as brave. If you quit and struggle, it’s condemned—even if you were suffering silently before.
• Note : You could argue that society always rewards discipline and hard work. That may be the case but that is not how I see it. Just noting to show how the wisom of the masses may not be absolute either.

Step 3: Weigh It

At a glance:

• L1: Maybe right, but risks flipping if quiet and peace is not enough without financial well being.

• L2: Appears right until an emergency comes which would flip this layer

• L3:  Probably Wrong without a strong financial base, already pointing to wrong

But this isn’t a math test where you tally up scores and take the majority.
The model is not about democracy between the layers, but knowing which one you’re trusting with the weight of the decision.

For example, If I’m having a mental breakdown due to my job, it would shift enormous weight onto L1, leaving other layers weightless. But once  I recover from my mental breakdown in the future, If I don't experience well being, It might result in the L1 flipping too.

So how do I make a “right” decision under such uncertainty?

Step 4: Add Compassion

• In the future, be compassionate toward the version of yourself that made the decision.  

The only way to preserve moral integrity across time is to not let future consequences be the scale for deciding what is right or wrong. You chose what you did because it was what you needed in the past. Own it. Respect it, so that the layers doesn't flip in the future, ensuring consistency.

Looking through the model, I don't believe that quitting without a stronger financial cushion is the right thing to do. That would leave me exposed across all layers.

So for now, I won’t quit. I hope this analysis gives power to my Mantra.