Coldplay: How to Lose Your Wife in Three Days

When you think that there can be no new news, news has a way of bringing you something new your way: can get wild, dumbfounding, thrilling, thought-provoking, even bizarre.

Have you ever been caught with your pants down? Like literally ever been caught with your pants down.

Brings to mind a passage in Prince Harry’s Tell-All Memoir: “SPARE”, where he narrates in one scene, that a mistaken identity (of a door) in their Balmoral Castle, could sometimes lead a person to the knocking and opening of the wrong door. Such that making such a mistake, you may burst in on the King while he was naked or in the alternative, find him in a pair of boxers only, while he did his headstand exercises. And if he felt you turn the knob on his door while he was doing this, you’d hear him scream: No! No! Don’t open! Please God don’t open!  Intense, isn’t it?

Even the King does not wish to be caught with his pants down.

In sight of this, while last week was closing in, a very popular rich CEO was caught pants down. With his CPO (Chief People Officer) in a rather compromising pose; Titanic-fashion, spoon-shaped, he as Jack, his palms provocatively resting on Rose’s chest, while hers draped over his hands, lightly in a real cozy embrace worthy of emulation by any serious couple.

The CEO identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, a dad of 2 grownup sons, married to a conscientious educator.  But when these things happen, who the other partner is, usually inconsequential. Or isn’t it?

So what has the buzz all been about?  ‘Cos it is not the first time two people have allegedly cheated on their partners but it seems that it was the manner in which these two were seen: publicly, and at a famous musical concert when Bandmate Chris Martin panned a camera randomly to the “couple” and they were seen ducking out of sight, his lady covering her face with her palms and disappearing from the grounds. This looked very suspicious and reportedly led Chris Martin to exclaim; “Look at this, they are either having an affair or they are very shy.” We all know the rest of the story.

There have been diverse opinions, with most people condemning these two for their indiscretion, and for allegedly "cheating on their partners” (even though it has now emerged that the CPO is a divorced woman).

Private Life versus Working Relationship:

Which of them is the real Culprit? Is there a victim here? Here’s a CEO who exerts authority over his CPO, she only joined the company November last year, does that count for anything? Was she a willing ‘accessory’ or not? Did the third-party colleague know about their affair (alleged)? Is it true that she received a promotion by the CPO because she knew something? Does having an affair in one’s private life depart from performing one’s professional duties? Therefore, must he be given a suspension for his behaviour? The issue of Ethics in Business; were they unethical? Considering that they were having a private moment? Is the Management of Astronomer justified in issuing his suspension? How come we haven’t heard anything about the woman who was also center stage of the Coldplay?

What are the implications for us who are watching?

Since the Coldplay episode, social media has been awash with various opinions, including: serves them right for cheating, she’s a homewrecker, his wife must divorce him right away, her husband must put her out of his sight forever, unprofessional people, amidst other more ridiculous comments.

Personally, I feel sorry for all the parties involved; a CEO who has now lost his job, will most likely  lose his wife, and half of his hard-earned millions, a wife about to lose her marriage in the purview of the whole world, their children must now face their maybe disgraced father, the CPO must probably face all her colleagues at work with their incessant brutal gossip, her career has all but ended after this. Her colleague who probably knew about the alleged affair must now answer how much of this she knew and whether her knowledge influenced the promotion she received form the CPO. And so on.

Is there an advice for us on the sidelines?

It’s probably good to follow the complex interplay as it unfolds.  However, let’s all be careful not to be too harsh with our ‘judgments’. Let’s leave them to sort out their own mess, no matter how messy it appears to us. And quit talking so brutally about other people’s affair. No one knows what you also did in secret or what you will do or continue to do which is yet to be uncovered.

Written by Mena Ekua Feneba