In this one life of ours, we should learn to respect people’s hustle as long as it is legitimate. There are some jobs people consider menial, often categorised as non-professional. It is worth noting that a professional must undergo training, obtain licenses to practice, and pass through the four walls of the classroom to acquire knowledge. On the other hand, menial jobs do not always require formal classroom education.
It is common in this part of the world for people to judge you based on your job. It is easy for people to look down on others here. Take, for example, cleaners or those who work in environmental sanitation. People tend to look down on them. Some individuals are fond of saying, “Do you know who I am?” as if they were God. People often rate you by what you wear rather than by your personality.
What many of us fail to understand is that every job is important. Consider those who sweep the streets and keep them clean. You would be surprised that if they failed to work for just a day or two, the streets would be filled with dirt and unwanted refuse. Should we talk about the vulcaniser by the roadside? If they were not there, who would attend to us when our car tyres became faulty?
We must learn to respect people’s hustle and desist from looking down on others or saying things that put people in difficult situations.
Why am I even saying this? I have a garden in our compound where we planted cassava and also rear animals on the side. The goats did not allow the cassava to grow very well, but it is better than nothing. I needed someone to work in the garden, to uproot and peel the cassava so that I could make cassava powder and garri. I kept searching for people to work in the garden. These days, it is difficult to find people willing to work on farms as before. Many are unwilling, and the few who are willing are not easy to find. It often feels as though you are literally begging them to work for you, and you still have to feed them after paying them.
A friend also shared a similar concern. I have a friend who owns a restaurant, and he often tells me how difficult it is to find workers willing to stay. Even when he manages to hire one or two, they hardly stay for up to three months. At first, I thought it was about the wages, perhaps he was not paying enough to cover their bills. The truth is, considering the rise in the cost of living, one can hardly blame people who refuse to work. However, on the contrary, many people are simply unwilling to endure hardship anymore. Everyone wants life to be simple and easy, which is not bad, but to what extent? At least, they must start somewhere.
I was baffled when he told me that many of the customers who come to buy food often lure his workers away with promises of a better life, asking them why they should settle for less.
There is a difference between settling for less and making an honest living. I always say that it is better to live one day at a time than to engage in something you would later regret. Life has stages, and one must be patient and keep working toward financial independence without soiling one’s hands with crime.
