Human to Human
Posted on February 17, 2014 by Penelope Rose Miller, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Creating humanity through businesses who value people.
Last night I saw a glimpse of the news and it was really interesting, surprisingly. It was a story on how our city’s bus system has a special service for people with disabilites and how this service is not always hitting the mark. The dispatchers of this fleet of buses is instructing the drivers to leave some people behind if the drivers are behind schedule. Basically leaving these people who are most often confined to a wheelchair at home, although this form of transportation is one of their only ways of getting around. One driver was saying that she has worked for the city for over 20 years, so she gives herself some leniency and decides she can “sneak in humanity”.
This notion of sneaking in our humanity really struck me. To think we are in a place where humanity needs to be taken through the back door just in case it is caught without the proper credentials completely gives me the chills. I see and experience this type of behavior and imagine you have as well. A small example might be the last time you were on the phone with a representative from a corporation (fill in the blank) and they could not help you even though that would have been the right thing to do if they were hearing you with their ears. I sometimes need the person on the other end of the phone to put down their scripted sentences in order to really listen and help, even if that means going outside the box they are working in.
I joyously remember walking in the WTO protest in Seattle about 15 years ago and chanting.. “THE PEOPLE UNITED.. WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!” I still feel moved with appreciaiton for that statement. We as a group of human citizens must unite in order to preserve our ability to be seen and heard and respected. Humanity should never have to be snuck in or out of our lives. Humanity and basic goodness is something we are all born, with, and no corporation or job or higher title should have the right nor the prospect of minimizing it.
Luckily I get to take part in a ripple effect that is changing the tide of business. As a coach I work with conscientious business owners and managers in order to create a space where humanity is valued. It is a full circle system and we need to advocate for each other as we go. I love that lady bus driver for knowing what was important to her and doing it in the face of criticism and perhaps even at the cost of her job. My wish is that in the near future, humanity need not be cloaked but a choice that is celebrated and birthed over and over again so that we remember who we really are.