Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Better?

I spoke to a bright man who cleans and sweeps a building in an organization I belong to.

For many years he taught school before his country was torn by upheaval. To support his family he took a job as a custodian and has worked for low wages and long hours ever since.

To his happiness, his children are doing well with strong educations, good jobs, and positive prospects. He's happy with what he's achieved, yet I did notice a hint of desire when we spoke of teaching school.

So often we may hold our successes high as we talk or work with others without any regard to the fact that it's rare that one is better than the other, and more typical that those who may be deemed "better" are simply those who had greater opportunity due to a large number of factors.

That's why we have to continually remind ourselves to listen carefully, think deeply, and approach respectfully everyone we work, live, and associate with.