It's All in How You Look At It

There's been something bugging me lately. Maybe it's the holiday season giving me a new perspective on this, but it's really not only the point in time when I've questioned certain parts of humanity and how people treat people. My faith in humanity is perhaps losing steam.

I had a customer who apparently was formerly a customer who felt the need to complain to me about how he saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico.. I mean, Walmart. Which is something I honestly in no way have control over, it's all about the insurance and what they charge. In any case, he chose Christmas Eve to come complain. It could have not waited until a normal week day (that's another point I need to make), but he felt the need to do it on Christmas Eve. It was probably the most insulting conversation I've endured as of late, but it got me thinking...

What in the world are we coming to when people are not treated as PEOPLE? Does it matter what kind of job you're in? Car you drive? Color of skin, what you wear, how you fix your hair, I could go on and on about labels I know are out there and I still would not be able to cover them all. The point is, humanity seems to have suffered a blow as of late. Why is being better than everyone else a priority?

What happened to people just being PEOPLE? Everyone has a story, a background, a reason for being where they are and who they are. How does one get any where in life? Everyone takes one step at a time, one foot in front of the other until they get to where they're going. Doesn't the person who works at a fast food restaurant to make ends meet still have the same potential for greatness as the person who may be a little bit spoiled and doesn't know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck? Are you really better than somebody because of where they work? It's a necessity to have an income, and there is usually a reason to why someone is where they are. Perhaps it's a little different when that's all the person has made their life to be, but for most I know, the fast food industry is a stepping stone into something better.

So why should they be looked down upon for making their life better? And does that give someone the right to treat them as any less of a person?

I know I have made my own faults in this, in labeling certain people. But part of growing up is realizing the fault in how you see things and how they should be seen. Everything deserves a closer look, and as far as people go, everyone deserves a chance to be somebody. In this world, it's not about being above someone else. Above all, I believe people ARE people -- everyone has their good points, their bad points, and the in-between.

What sparked this whole thing was me working on Christmas Eve & Christmas, and realizing that there are people who just want to make life hell either because they can or because that's just how their life is. Making someone else feel like shit makes them feel better. But what really bothers me about this is how both holidays have become just another day. I understand that not everybody in America celebrates these holidays, and that it is just another Wednesday and Thursday to them, but... for those who do, and even if you don't... remember that just because someone is working on Christmas is not because they have something better to do, but maybe it was a choice to give up their Christmas morning for someone else to enjoy theirs.

I guess it's all in how you look at it.

(By the way, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you!)