In the United States as a child I was taught that all people were equal. However, the schools that I attended were a mess. They were in very very poor shape, the teachers where not motivated to teach well. Basically, they were just counting the days until payday. One class room had a hole in the floor. Through this hole you could see the classroom on the lower level.
There were times boys would pick on others and fights would break out. NO ONE BROKE these fights up. I would defend my friends and fight those bullies. The teachers would watch. Just watch. I would go home and shadow box, do push ups, and sit ups. I did this because it made me stronger. I could fight longer, hit harder, take more physical punishment. The result? I shamed those bullies. If they attacked or bullied a friend of mine I would wait until that person was alone then I would attack them. Teachers...did....nothing.
So if we are equal why is it that other schools did not have this environment. Other schools were very concerned about test scores, how they ranked against other schools. Teachers taught with gusto. There were so many after school programs. You see those schools were in white neighborhoods. Are we equal? There so many examples of how we are not equal. Even our DNA can show how humans are not all on an equal fitting. My boss can not drink the same amount of alcohol as I can. I recover from wounds faster, and rarely get hangovers. Yet, my boss is taller, stronger, ages very very slowly. We are not the same.
In my job we have people who have made a lot of money in setting up private academies. Many have also lost money. The point is some of these persons are from native English speaking countries. When they see other foriegners they want to make friends. This is natural. However, once you sign a contract with said person, you are now under them. Yes the contract protects you, makes sure you are well compensated. But, you are now not on the same level socially.
You see where I work there was guy who worked here with me. He became fast friends with the boss. However, he over stepped his bounds one too many times. The result? He was let go earlier than the original release date was. It cost him thousands of dollars in pay, and hundreds of dollars in severence payments.
I know I make my boss feel uncomefortable when we are in a social setting and I keep referring to him as my boss, yet he calls me his friend. Yes I view him in a very friendly way. Yet I know that there are levels or a hierarchy in every aspect of our lives.
In bible God allowed people to buy and own slaves. Angels refer to themselves as slaves. Yet modern society wants to make the word slave and evil thing. Even though we have many forms of slavery in this very day. Rich still get richer and poor still get poorer. If I have more than 10000 usd in my account the IRS will get a notification. 10,000 bucks??!?! It does not take long to save up that amount of money. Yet the rich roll around not even having money in bank accounts. If I have 40,000 USD in my account (a tiny drop compared to it takes to truly rich in this world) I will have some tax officers looking into me.
For me knowing my place has helped in many ways. I hold on to jobs much much longer. The people that I work with really enjoy working with me. If there is an issue my employers know that we can resolve it in a quiet respectful manner, with very little to no stress.
So know your place. If you are in a higher position be loving, kind, and show respect. You will have success.
/tata
