No person is worthless. Everyone has value in some way. At minimum, each is one of our own species, a human being, worthy of dignity and respect. But beyond that, how often do we think about the contributions specific groups of people make to our own well-being, our community, our world? Today’s post is an attempt to acknowledge the contributions many people make that enhance life, though we may usually just take it all for granted.
Perhaps first of all, we should acknowledge parents, who bring us into this world, feed us, clothe and shelter us, teach us, and support us. Regardless of the type of parents we have or had, they did make our lives possible and in some way made it possible for us to be here now. The best parents also have built their children’s self-esteem and capabilities and continue to support their efforts as adults.
Certainly, we can’t leave out children either. They motivate us, as parents, to work harder and take on responsibilities. But they are also the hope of the future–they will take our places when we are gone. They come here innocent and could stay that way, if we (the world collectively) didn’t teach them evil ways. If we can prepare them to lead future generations toward the light, they truly will be the hope for the future.
We must also acknowledge the many contributions of the many past generations. For one, they kept things working well enough that they didn’t all destroy each other, but kept the generations going to this point; the world is still intact enough that we continue to survive. But most everything that we have and depend on today had roots in the many people before us.
For example, cell phones didn’t just arrive on the planet when we were born, so that we could have and use them. Their development was only possible because of previous developments, such as Benjamin Franklin’s discovery of electricity in the 1700s. It was then necessary for people to discover the laws of electric charges and currents and develop the many components that direct and control the flow of electricity. They had to invent ways to produce electricity and distribute it. They had to invent components that could convert natural phenomena (light, sound, etc.) to electricity and others that could convert electricity to those natural phenomena. But it doesn’t stop there.
Some people developed manufacturing processes to produce all those parts. The wired phone system was developed before cell phones and gave a foundation for a communications network that cell phones use today. Then other people figured out how to make miniaturized components that consumed less power, such as integrated circuits. People had to develop cell phone tower systems and digital signal control systems. All of this took a lot of time and a lot of people researching and developing and funding it. (I think it must be emphasized that capitalism did enable this development.)
Even the simplest items that we take for granted, such as a screwdriver or a pen, had a long history of many people experimenting and developing new concepts and ideas. We can never justifiably condemn past generations for their primitive tools or lifestyles, thinking we are somehow superior. What we have now only exists because of them.
After all the contributions from the many past generations, we need to also consider the people who are alive now that continue to contribute to our well-being, as they produce, provide, and maintain all that we have. There is no way I could list all of these, but I will attempt to make an extensive list here (just a title for time’s sake). Remember, all of these are people who in some way contribute to us directly or indirectly.
- Home construction crews
- Engineers of every kind (designing our devices, our cars, our homes, our stores, our hospitals, etc. etc.)
- Factory workers/assembly line workers
- Inspectors of every kind
- Legal experts
- Financial experts/accountants
- Executive officers
- Managers
- Supervisors
- Financial institution employees
- Investors
- Realtors
- Chefs & other food preparers & servers
- Truckers & other delivery personnel
- Postal employees
- Convenience store associates
- Grocery store associates
- Religious faith leaders
- Gymn employees & coaches
- Road construction and maintenance crews
- Plumbers
- Electricians
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technicians
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Medical supply technicians
- Medical equipment repair technicians
- Emergency responders (EMTs, fire fighters, police, etc.)
- Educators at all levels (elementary, high school, college, technical schools, etc.)
- Good government leaders
- Government employees of all kinds
- Scientists
- Military service members
- Support personnel of all kinds
- Entertainers of all kinds
- Broadcasting employees
- Newscasters & weather forecasters
I’m sure the list could go on and on and go into more detail, but you get the idea. People all around us are contributing in some way to our well-being. They make it possible to enjoy wonderful food, accomplish our work, sit back and relax–all in relative peace and security. These things didn’t happen by accident–people made it all happen. So whether you’re aware of it or not, that person next you on the road that seems a little unsteady or the person ahead of you at the fast food counter that seems to be taking forever, may have a hand in a better life for YOU. Put kindness first.