Self Respect

I have had a most difficult time over the last few months when it comes to writing.  It isn't writer's block.  It's more like things are not showing up on my passion radar screen.  And that is probably because the passion part of the radar screen has been down.

So I am talking to someone yesterday and I feel an internal click.  The radar screen goes up and there is a big ole pulsating blip on it.  I need to write.  The timing is so ironic.  I am sitting here this morning with a couple of things that I really want to work on for my new job - strange as that might sound.  But the sound emitting from the radar screen lures me in....

Growing up, I had an uncle who was reasonably high up in the management ranks of a very large, international company.  Although he was quite capable, the lack of a college degree seemed to hinder him.  I am not sure if downward force stymied his progress or if it was his own mindset. 

If one has the ability to perform, the lack of a college degree should not hold them back.  Nor should it create a feeling of I am not as good as... because I don't have a college degree.  If I am not mistaken, Billy Gates has done fairly well without a college degree.  But this is not about whether someone has a degree or not.  It is about believing in one's self and not validating one's own position by that of others.

I think that every single person on this planet carries with them a degree of importance.  Take Mary, a mother of three children between the ages of nine and fourteen.  Mary's wife Bob works over sixty hours a week.  Mary also works between sixteen and twenty hours each week at Wal-Mart.  Mary cooks, cleans, washes clothes, does the bills, taxi's her kids to practice and helps with homework.  Should Mary feel a lesser person because she doesn't manage a department of twenty people like Bob?  Abolutely not!. 

Should we prioritize our existence on Earth according to our salary level and positions at work?  If so, where do we place teachers, firefighters and police men and women?  And if we are one of these folks, we should take comfort in and be proud of the role we are fulfilling.

I do not believe Those up High will be judging our status, our level of intellect and how much money we have made.  I don't think that we should judge our selves in this manner either.