If I were to imagine someone teaching the importance of respecting the careers of others, it would be my mother. She has taken on a multitude blue-collar jobs that some would refuse because of fear of judgement. She has been a school bus driver and a cafeteria worker. She had a cashiering jobs where she was robbed at gunpoint multiple times and has even been an armed guard who was the expert shot in her class and had to stand at post for hours on end in the middle of winter. She herself has no college degree, and in order to send me to college, she took on a job as a public safety officer on a college campus—a job where most students resent you. From time to time, she has held three jobs at once. Through all of this, she taught me the importance of respecting the career paths of others.
Do not define the importance of people by their careers, but rather appreciate people, because their role in society is important.
The bus driver who you did not acknowledge the existence of is responsible for providing you with transportation and having you safely arrive at your destination. Offer a “hello” and give a “thank you,” because without them you may be walking.
The waitress or waiter you were rude to about your family’s meals actually had to miss having that meal with their family because in order to provide the means of a meal for their family, they had to provide yours. Think about this as you complain that your breakfast is late. That waitress may rarely get the opportunity to eat breakfast with her children, so appreciate your meal.
The janitor that you routinely ignore is the person responsible for cleaning up everything, no matter how wretched. Think about that before you drink too much on the weekends and decide to vomit or urinate wherever you please. The very least you could offer them is a smile and a greeting when you see them. But even that does not do the job justice.
The farmer driving a tractor down the road may aggravate you by holding up traffic, but he is the person who provides your produce. You may be rushing home because you are responsible for cooking your family dinner, but he is on his way to tend to his fields and livestock so that you have the means to provide your family with that meal. Have some patience.
The cafeteria worker you make jokes about is responsible for feeding hundreds, maybe even thousands of people a day. The recipes may sometimes be terrible, but in the end, they are given guidelines of what to cook and how to cook it. They provide you with one of the necessities of life, so provide them with respect when they serve you.
The postal worker that delivers your mail is resented for delivering bills, but without their existence, it would not be possible for you to send letters to your family or for soldiers to receive care packages. You cherish and demand next day shipping for your orders, but for that to happen, it means that somewhere a postal worker is going to have a hectic day in store—which nowadays is nearly every single day.
The next time you think about degrading someone’s career, realize that nearly every job is a supporting part of the foundation for modern life and our day to day comforts. Instead of degrading or dismissing a person who is serving you, acknowledge their existence as part of the human race.
