Closing The Divide, 21

Does the Divide truly need closing? I think in some ways yes, particularly in terms of economic disparity. Do we all need to be filthy miserable rich? No, but we all deserve to have enough. Should some people earn more than others? I don't know. I believe strongly in the living wage. I am also concerned that some "earn" far in excess of their needs, and in effect, are thus robbing the poor. Should a doctor earn more than the Filipina lady who cleans the office toilets? No. They should earn the same. Both involve unpleasant labour that puts personal health and safety at risk, and both are working towards public health and sanitation. Okay, Gentle Reader, I will give you five seconds to stop screaming and whinging. There, are you quite done? Are you over it? Okay...Now please keep in mind that the lady who cleans your toilets just might have practiced as a doctor in Manila. Okay... another five seconds to stop screaming, dears. Are you over it yet? Very good. If we are going to seriously consider social and economic justice then maybe we could start by reevaluating how we see and value work. We do love to play favourites. We have a fetish about money as being in itself a value. We have this mentality that the more you train for a position, and the more education it requires then of course you should be compensated accordingly. So then, a psychiatrist with a private practice can rake in a six figure salary while the Filipina woman who works at the cash till in muy local Shoppers' Drug Mart has to settle for minimum wage, or only a little better, but not a living wage. Well, have you ever tried working in the service and retail industry? It is not easy or pleasant work and you constantly have to cope with J. Idiot Public on one side and F. Monster Management on the other. And you are often going to have a family to feed. Regardless of how we value different kinds of work, professions, trades or occupations, we have to start thinking more in terms of each worker playing a vital role in the wellbeing of their communities, making each worker, regardless their position, valuable and irreplaceable. Should a waitress in a donut shop be raking in three hundred g's a year? No. And neither should a dentist. I am sick to death of this dumb brainless thinking that assumes that remuneration equals value of work and quality of performance. If each worker was valued for themselves as humans of worth and dignity, then we would also value the work they do, no matter how humble or how lofty. In fact, we would probably ditch altogether this nonsense of some occupations being more or less humble than others. Likewise with the guys operating the garbage trucks. They perform an essential public service. So, I am proposing that in our schools, our education systems, and in our news and entertainment media, that we really start to rework how we value work and remuneration. I still doubt that we will ever see real economic parity between the classes, but no one has the right to earn more than their share, and if our doctors, lawyers and CEO's would simply accept a significant pay loss, putting them in the upper middle income area of between 80,000 and 100,000 a year, then just maybe our lowest paid workers could actually get a decent raise to up around 40,000 to 60,000, and at least the Divide would be significantly narrowed. We really have to start working on this as a society, and this includes banks and bankers, as well, Gentle Reader. Let the Revolution begin.