Respect - Worldwide

[4min Read]

I was in the hospital ward one day when a fellow student bumped into another student behind him. He turned around in shock, apologizing profusely - "I'm sorry sir". His hands raised up in a sorry pose. When he had turned around, and recognized that it wasn't a doctor he bumped into, he immediately frowned and shouted "You de mad?"

Making a 180° turn in character, simply because the person was "his mate". I was shocked. I had to express my disappointment in his actions. It doesn't matter that it wasn't directed to me. We have enough bystanders for bad things in this country.

Frankly, by this point in my life, in this country I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've seen things like this happen all too often. Not just between mates, but between superiors and juniors, sometimes by juniors to their superiors. It all astounds me.

The worst part of it all is that we believe this is all normal. We are somehow okay with insulting and ignoring cleaners, simply because they are 'cleaners' and not big-time company CEO's. We treat people different because we feel they have nothing to offer us, or that they are so far below us and our status that it would be sacrilege to give recognition as the same type of human beings we are.

We have trained ourselves with the mindset that 'equality does not matter'. Only hierarchy does.

My father is a doctor. He has his own well established hospital, and is well recognized in many places. But his father was a palm wine tapper. Yeah. My grandfather did a lot of jobs during his lifetime. He had sold salt, and fish and garri and more. Nobody would have guessed how his children would turn out by just looking at him.

And I'm pretty sure the way people treated my father, and his father were different.

Let's be honest. How many of you would knowingly greet and acknowledge a palm tapper you saw randomly, who has no particular ties to you? Not many of you. You would say he's a nobody. Or tell yourself he 'doesn't need your greeting'.

Some people would like to argue that a doctor, or engineer or lawyer of renown should be greatly acknowledged for their hard work. That they deserve it.

But that would be tantamount to saying that 'Human Life' is not important. Only position and power. And honestly, that kind of thinking is what has created the society we live in. You are saying that anybody who has "not achieved greatness" is useless, and not deserving of respect.

Do not misunderstand me. I understand that it might be proper in some instances to give more respect to higher people. You wouldn't attach the same respect to an elder sibling as you do to a parent. But a corruption of that thinking is what has built us to believe that some people are not deserving of respect, or rather 'deserve less'. Because we have divided society into layers, and placed some people below us, instead of at the same level. And that there is the main problem - us, believing that we are "better" than others. Forgetting that we are all really a product of circumstances.

I will admit it. One of my fears is that, if I'm not careful, I may fall into this mentality. Most especially because the world I live in seems to thrive on it. Till today, I do my best to acknowledge people, no matter who they are, their status, their reputation, or even what they've done to me.

It hasn't been easy, but I know it's absolutely worth it. Not for the reason you probably think. Because I know a lot of people keep preaching to treat people well because you don't know "who they'll be tomorrow", and you may need their help - but thats's very flawed, since that is only really teaching us to act for self-interest. I find that teaching to be problematic, because if you strip away the inspirational sugarcoat it seems to wear, you will find that it is based on selfishness and greed. It risks making you focus on the people you believe can give you benefits, and then allowing you to ignore everybody else. Don't be like that.

Respect and acknowledge people not for who they'll be tomorrow, but for what the world will be tomorrow. We have so often complained that this world is unfair, terrible, hateful etc etc. I find it ironic that we forget;

We, are the ones who create it.




Thanks for reading.
Love, Stars and Mutual Respect

------------------------------------------------------
Did you like this article? Read other ones just as good like;
1. The Transformation of a Story
2. Unpopular Opinion - Over The Top
3. Drop Your Phone!! But after reading this though...