We are living in a ‘throw-away’ society. At one time, goods were made to last, and the US manufactured items that were well-made. It used to be that a company had loyalty to its employees – they were taken care of, paid well, and at retirement they had a good pension. Times have changed.
Now goods fall apart rather than wear out; people aren’t given the respect they deserve; the US doesn’t manufacture much any more because companies can get cheap labor overseas. And for those who are employed here, the company has no loyalty to them, unless they are upper management, in which case they can get huge bonuses and stock options, even if the company is losing money.
Many people seem to dismiss other people as not worthy of recognition. And I think this has grown out of the changes in our society over the last 40 or so years. We have become a people that only value those who make a lot of money, or who have a big house, or drive a fancy car, or have the ‘right’ skin color, or the ‘right’ documents. People in service occupations: store sales people, wait-staff, garbage collectors, etc. are treated like dirt by some people who use their services. I am embarrassed by what some people say and do to wait-staff and sales associates in store. It doesn’t take much to express appreciation for what these people are doing for you – how about just a simple ‘Thank you’.
The person who picks up your garbage is just as valuable as the CEO of a national company; maybe more so as what would happen if your garbage didn’t get picked up for a few weeks? We tend to look down our noses at those who earn their living by labor rather than brain. How did we get to this point? Is a garbage collector less valuable than an accountant? Is a sales associate in a department store less deserving than the CEO of the company? No! Everyone has a worth, even those who are unemployed, or on welfare, or laboring in the shadows. It’s time to get our priorities straight and honor every human being just because they are human. So let’s start treating people as if they are valuable members of society; because they are.
A New Beginning 