Class Distinction
This morning, I read a brief summary of the birth of the AFL. The article described how Samual Gompers, due to his ability to read, was often paid by his co-workers to read to them regarding political news and philosophies while they worked. This reading led him to believe that revolution wasn’t the way to improve working conditions (as was going on in Europe and Russia) but organizing labor to negotiate with the management was.
Having only very limited experience being a union member (technically, I was in NEA for the couple years I taught High School but I wasn’t active nor cognitive of it practically), the term union is not positive given today’s union activity and my conservative values. Oh, I acknowledge and appreciate that when they first came into existence employers, in general, did not treat their employees well or even fairly. However, I question their ongoing value today.
This made me examine my beliefs regarding labor. I found this:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
This passage made me think of class distinction. You know, referring to your bosses as “the man” or “the uppity ups” or referring to yourself as one of the “peons” or “the worker bees”. Sometimes, and I really tried never to do this, people used class distinction to justify an unfavorable influence to a person by saying something like “she just the cleaning lady”. I never liked that last part (I’d like to say I avoided all class distinctions but I would not be telling the truth), because if anything, I depended on others to be able to do my job either at all or more effectively. I’m numbers oriented so let me explain it this way.
Let’s say you have an administrative assistant that makes $15 per hour while in your managerial job, you make $40 per hour, which person is more cost effective at making 30 copies of a multiple page presentation for the upcoming meeting? Or, if that same manager has to stop what he or she is doing and empty his or her trash, how cost effective is that?
I suspect that attitude is why my last two administrative assistants (both retired) still keep in friendly contact with me and even make comments that they miss working with me.
Which brings me to a philosophical axiom that I tried to live by. I found out, early in my career, that a lot of people (many but not all) will respond favorably to you if you look them in the eye and smile at them and wish them a “great day.” In fact, I’ll go one further and say that my day would be better if I smiled, looked others in the eye and wished them a “good day”. This just goes to show you the power of a positive attitude on others and yourself.
“The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.” - Proverbs 15:30 ESV
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” - Philippians 4:8 ESV
“…not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” - Ephesians 6:6-9 ESV
