I watched him through the window. He was a garbage collector. He was doing his job, picking and transferring garbage from the bins to the truck. I could not believe that someone would pick potentially coronavirus-contaminated garbage with such bravery. Since the virus broke, and out of my cowardice, I have had to use a sanitizer even after picking mails from the mailbox. Yes, I did not even trust the U.S. postal officer to be clean. But before me is a brave man, picking dangerous things.
Then, he drove off. And my mind flashed back to other families around here. One is a hedge fund manager. Another retired from American football. Another owns many convenience stores. There is an oil man with his big Hummer who knows Niger Delta more than I do. Then, professors, bankers, lawyers, and others. But today, they seem small because the only person working right now is the garbage collector. Fear has overtaken America and everyone is in his or her big hut!
The United States Government has considered the collector’s job ESSENTIAL when professors, hedge fund managers, footballers, etc have been told to stay home. Really? Yes, there are people who bring pieces that make our societies work, and unfortunately, many of us do not really appreciate or respect them. America can live now without professors, money men, and footballers, but without the garbage collectors, another dimension of paralysis will happen.
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Our world is built on many pieces. There is a need for us to appreciate one another. While we can put all the smiley faces for the money men and women,it turns out that the garbage collector has a more important job for the functioning of our society than professors, venture capitalists, fashionistas, movie-gods and more, at least today.
Who is a better friend now in Spain, Italy and New York City? Banker or a nurse? Most will pick a nurse. The private jets are now non-essential. Even Florida has told the money men who wanted to escape New York City to Florida to forget the idea. People, the money men are now small people, looking for where to hide, and they can’t buy that privilege with their money!
Respect. Respect. Respect – for a better world, for all. Our value to society must not be based on the size of our paycheck.
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This singular word: DIGNITY has always been around, only that in our ephemeral fixations for flashy and trendy things, we tend to forget that when it comes to real order of importance, most things we pay too much attention will suddenly come last, but man has always lacked wisdom anyway.
Our world is rigged, and the way we calibrate value is irredeemably faulty, but rather exploring ways to correct the seeming anomaly, we find ways to reinforce and perpetuate it.
When we recount stakeholders in the building industry, no one remembers the Mama Put and sachets water sellers, yet remove them from building sites, you suddenly recognise how productivity drops, but it’s very easy to forget them…
Until we gain the necessary wisdom to be able to respect and value people for what they bring to our lives, as against popularity, over-education, and size of bank accounts, we will continue to look down on the very people that keep us going; of course nature has a way of correcting our malfeasances.
Respect! Every human out there who does good things deserves it!
The building industry one in Nigeria is a great example. By keeping the men on site, you get precious time saved since they would not have to be going to a far place to eat.
I so Much Love this article … Its really an Eye Opener.