A JANITOR; A CEO, TREAT THEM WITH THE SAME RESPECT!

       There is this short story about a janitor at a fish factory (cold room), you know most of the times, people might just walk into a company or an establishment without reckoning the security personnel on duty, but, this story actually shook me, so to say. There was this lady who works in a cold room, any time she resumes duty in the morning, she greets the janitor, and, when she is about leaving, she does the same thing.  She does this virtually every day. Being the only worker who actually reckons with the janitor, it makes the janitor feel human as well, he feels valued as a human. So, there was this day she resumed duty, she did the same thing, made the janitor feel that same importance he had always felt, but, there was something unusual about that particular day; there was no one to say good night to him at 6 pm. He was certain something was wrong that evening because he actually got a good morning. He racked his brain for a while, and then, he decided to check all offices. He picked the keys to the offices and realized the lady’s key was not there yet. What could have happened? He asked himself. He went through the offices; found other offices locked except the lady’s office. He got baffled, thought for a while to know where something may have gone wrong, he remembered he had not checked a particular place; he took the key, and, opened the cold room. Guess what? He found the lady locked in there by mistake, already turning to ice. Well, thank God it was not too late, he quickly rescued her, and, her life was saved. Do you see what a simple good morning and good night can do? It costs nothing! 

        I was going out with someone one day, then, a young lady we both know shouted our names from a vehicle, we greeted her, and, I bowed my head to greet the woman sitting at the driver’s seat. Whether that was her mum or, someone else, I wasn’t sure, and, I didn't care, I just knew I bowed and she replied. The person I was going with attacked me that why would we greet someone she might even be older than, you made me bow my head to a young lady and all. I was like, has greeted her reduced your age and worth? Has it reduced your account balance and increased hers? Is it written over your forehead that you just greeted someone you might be older than? NO! so, it is meaningless. Humility reduces nothing, not a single thing. In fact, when strangers get to know your worth, or, who you really are with your humility, they will be marveled. I heard about a professor who attended a seminar filled with students. They all were supposed to eat there and the servers hired were not fast enough.  The professor stood up from his seat, joined them, and, helped them out. He served some students, and, some were still calling him for more soup, he served them with a broad smile on his face. Has doing all that reduced him in any way? Absolutely NO!!!

       Everyone around us needs to be valued; you can never tell what an ordinary pleasantry would do to someone. Some people fidget on the sight of a company’s CEO, but, a cleaner means nothing to them. We can never tell who would help us out in times of trouble; we never can tell the connection those you see as unimportant have. Treat everyone with respect, treat everyone equally, being humble costs nothing, it does not reduce you, what it may even do to you might be an increase. Respect everyone you come across, respect they say, is reciprocal.