Respect

"Be somebody who makes everybody feels like somebody"

We live in a world enshrouded by an embedded system of social stratification. Whereas those we presume are at the nadir of social strata often times have become objects of disdain and contempt. They feel no one knows they exist because we ostracize, undermine, and commonize their contributions. Such scenes make me uncomfortable. We made them percept that respect is no longer their lot because we now accord respect according to the whiteness of one's collar job. But in the beginning, it wasn't so. 

Respect should not be subjective, as it is a drive towards the egalitarian society we crave. We cannot all become doctors, scientists, lawyers, even accountants. Some people decided to feel the informal sector jobs and they also deserve our respect equally. "Jesus came into this world not a philosopher or a general but as a carpenter. All work matter to God".

The Covid-19 scourge has even brought this to the fore. Grocery store workers, bus drivers, delivery drivers, fast food workers, garbage collectors, sanitation workers, etc, are the ones taking us through this Covid'19 crisis, making sure we have the essentials to survive on and even risking their health.

Someone's job may not be indicative of the person’s intelligence, work ethic, or character. Honest work is honest work. Never look down on anyone for the job they have. We are admonished to be good to people because we'll be remembered for our kindness than any level of success we could possibly attain. 

"Don't treat people for what they are, treat people for who you are" ~ MOB