building each other

I normally get my hair done at one particular salon. The man (Ben), can have close to ten people walking in every day for his services which are very affordable for a student’s lifestyle. Society has trained us from our education systems to value white-collar jobs, but what about the little shanties that are on every corner of our busy streets.

We tend to belittle our plumbers, grocers, hairdressers, and farmers because they are not sitting in an office at the highest place in town. We forget that at the end of the day, they are all targeting a similar goal, trying to make a living.

Every individual trying to make ends meet endures challenges and achieves results in one way or the other. We need each other. The farmer will need to go to an office to get a permit for his business and in return, the same office worker will go to the grocer shop to buy food items that were supplied by the farmer. It's almost as if we are existing symbiotically. As if the barter trade has just become modernized.

Our education system should emphasize that all work is good as long as it's serving the greater good of oneself or many. It is obvious that most of the youth overlook the blue-collar jobs but little do we fail to understand that they are just as important. Agriculture for example is the backbone of our economy.

Skills and hobbies like knitting, tailoring, and cooking are slowly going down the drain as more of the youth ignore their importance. These are life skills you can use to put money into your pocket. You can be a tailor, knit clothes, or start your cooking gig. All skills can be marketable when you sharpen and understand that they are as important as any other job. Kazi ni Kazi.

I plan to sharpen my knitting skills, what about you RAIRgem?