EVERY JOB MATTERS : REASON WHY OUR COMMUNITY IS DYING

I know you must or should have heard this same saying that ‘every job matters’, where you have been thought to valorize what you do or what others do. I have something different on that subject. Ride along with me as we plunge into different dimensions of this same subject.

Let’s begin with some storytelling, shall we?

Here we go

One morning on my way to a seminar, I came across a scene of two men fighting and coursing each other, one of them looked more enraged and he was seriously pounding the other. The fight was so intense that they drag each other across the highway without any fear of moving vehicles; that caught my attention. I became more intrigued when I noticed that the one receiving most of the beating was wearing a uniform and holding a broom which I quickly identify him as a Hysacam worker( a company in Cameroon who works with the council to keep the community clean.

For better understanding permit me to name them;

Hysacam worker( the one wearing a uniform and  holding the broom) and

The angrier one(the one coursing more, giving out the blows and violent display)

Both of them were nonetheless angry.

The angrier one,  keep screaming “ j’ai pissé, et je vais continuer a pissé la bas, ne me cherche pas les problem ce matin’

Translation: ‘ I have urinated and will continue to urinate there, do not look for my trouble this morning’.

 I understood from the ranting that the hysacam worker was swiping and taking out the trash and the angrier one came and decided to urinate on the same spot he was working. When the Hysacam worker asked him to stop, that it is lack of respect for the work he is doing and most especially to his person. Besides, the hysacam worker adds ‘ Il y a une toilette publique  juste a cote’ 

transalation ‘ there is a public toilette just nereby.’

The angrier one rather got very angry, that the hysacam worker has trampled on his rights to do whatever he wants and he starts a fight. To think he was the one at fault, but angrier than the offended.

Well I didn’t end the scene, so I don’t know how it ended. But this got me thinking,

– what could made the angrier one so angry, just because he was corrected by the Hysacam worker not to litter where he was cleaning.

– I also thought of why a full grown man prefers to urinate by a refuse point, rather than going to a nearby toilette.

QUESTIONS!  QUESTIONS! QUESTIONS!

Then it dawn on me: HUMAN DEVALUATION  AS A RESULT OF HIS JOB

In our society today certain jobs are looked upon as dirty, degrading and unworthy.  As a result, the same image is given to those doing the jobs – reason why our community is dying. They are mistreated, insulted, under looked more often than we can imagine.

This is why the Angrier one felt offended when called out by the hysacam worker. He felt he was not up to the standard of someone who can call him out. Reason why our community is dying.

To answer my second question, i realized that it is either lack of education or negligence on the part of the angrier one.

people like the angrier one often neglect taking care of their environment thinking that it is the job of others since they are being paid for it. Reason why our community is dying.

An office cleaner, street cleaner, refuse collector, house help, nannies are disrespected and dehumanized daily due to the job they do – reason why our community is dying. With the congestion caused by the rapid growth of urban areas, the presence of refuse removers and street cleaners are indispensable.

 Even the bible in 1 corinthians 12;12-27 helps us to understand the importance of each body part no matter its size. Lets use the example of the human body. Every body part is important and plays specific roles which make it indispensable.

The absence or malfunction of one causes a deficient to the entire body.  Same thing goes with the community, for it to function well; we need the ability, expertise and engagement of everyone. 

We have a clean and healthy community because of the street cleaner and refuse collector. Our office space, hospitals, institutions are clean because of cleaners, single moms and parents are able to go to work,  earn money, pay their bills  and further their careers and still raise children because there is someone who is there to take care of their kids while they are at it.

 We all need the services of each other to attain our goals. Besides, the person you look down on is someone’s father, mother, brother, sister and that job they do feeds and keep their families running.

We talk of reducing crime rate in our communities; still we dehumanize those who are humble enough to earn a living the right and honest way. We disrespect, minimize and toss them around like nothing.

We rather give our undiluted respect to people with white collar jobs, we bow and worship them like demi-gods.  People with white collar jobs occupy just a fraction of the world’s economy.

Remember, not everyone is apt to be a doctor, engineer, teacher, and so one.  Everyone has their forte and what they are called to do.

#EVERYJOBMATTERS

#EVERYLIFEMATTERS