h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Clean up your room!

Many humans have probably heard this when they were young. Especially the version:
"If you don't clean (tidy) your room until [insert applying time here] you will not [insert appropriate event here] !"
Hence forcing the little human to do it. Against his will, against his intelligence. No trying to make understand, just raw force.
Now, one could say, this only applies to children, but I experienced something similar today.
I am doing my social service in Germany, and my Boss told me to clean up my desk. Now, that's not so special, but the only reason he gave for doing so was (I'm doing my social service in a public youth house / organisation / whatever):
We have to make a good picture to people who come to our office.
Yeah right. But does a neat-and-tidy desk look as if someone is working on it?
I have to admit, it's not as bad as being a child, but how many reasons for cleaning up (against you will) your desk or room have you heard?

I had to clear the floor to my room once because I stepped on a tack. It made a cartoonish "skritch!" sound as I went into my foot.
Once I smashed a glass when I was moving my VCR. Then when I kicked the night side table in anger I broke another one. Bits of glass all over the floor. I think I got the last one out yesterday.
For a while I couldn't find my Nintendo. It turned up a few days later after an extensive box-cleaning.
And best of all, when I was little, my brother knocked the guard rail off the bunk-bed on to my head. And the next night he did it again. He had so much junk on there, there was no room to move.

The box has ended all this.

-Me