Give Me the Common People

As a young girl my mother told me I would never know what direction life would guide my feet. This advice was given while teaching me how to waltz during the days of rock & roll, what fork to gently stab my salad with, good work ethics, and manners to guide me through any level of "society".

As it turned out my mother was right. My life has taken me down many paths, from one extreme to the other. I have lived with much and I have lived with little. I have lived in large impressive homes and I have lived in a simple farm house. I have ridden a bicycle as my only form of transportation, driven a $1500.00 car and a $40,000.00 truck, rode in limousines and rode a horse into town. I have known people "great" and people insignificant to those who think they are important. I once had a friend tell me "You know people in high places and low places" and I told her that was exactly how I liked it.

To me, there is no "place". I am as unimpressed by money as I am by fame. People are just people to me. I have always perceived each person in my life by their actions and behavior towards others. I have seen the poorest person feed someone less fortunate and the richest person turn their heads and ignore pain and suffering right beneath their noses. Yet, I have also seen the wealthy person who helped a perfect stranger and a poor person turn their back on a friend.

Money, prestige, fame...mean nothing in the scope of everyday life and none of these things guarantee you quality of life, happiness, or a special place within the contributions of mankind. The quality of a man/woman does not come from what stores you shop, what country club you belong to, or the neighborhood you reside in. Quality comes from the beauty of yourself you give to those around you and how you enjoy the simple joys of life - your children, nature, and interaction with others. Limiting yourself to one way of life and one "type" of people cheats you of a full enriched life experience.

I have always said "Give me the common People". By common people I mean those who do not base the importance of their existence on material things, those who will talk to anyone without judging them first by their "circumstance" in life, and who have as much fun eating some greasy fried chicken while sitting in the grass as they do going to an opera. Common people understand every experience is there for them and they are not limited by a society that likes to place them into a category. Common people do not care if their neighbor knows their designer; they are more concerned with their children and their neighbor being comfortable in their home. Common people do not care if someone thinks they should not have a conversation with the man cutting their lawn, or have an evening out with the girl who watches their children. Common people can be rich or they can live in poverty. Their essence as a human is what makes them "common".

I look around me and see mass "illusions of grandeur". I see people living to "impress" but I have no idea who they are trying to impress. Running through life putting all emphasis on the "designer" clothing, the expensive car, the over large, over decorated house where not even a fly could be comfortable. Their lives are talked about in labels and brands and price tags. Why? To what end do they aspire? What happens when all the materialistic goals have been reached? Will they have lived a life of love and happiness, a life where they made the day brighter for another human being? Will they have learned the joy of the simplest of things like how a flower opens up towards the sun or the feel of rain on them without fear for their new garment, or the pleasure of laying in the grass on a sunny day with their child? "Common" people will. Those who are called common will like I, have traveled many paths, experienced both large and small pleasures, and in the end when all humans transition from this world they will have come out ahead in one way - having not only fully experienced life but also have given other humans their time and essence instead of trying so hard to prove they are in some way "above" or more important than their fellow man.

Money, prestige, houses, cars, designer clothing...nothing makes one man better than another. To those who think so, you are only cheating yourself. Is it wrong to have Dolce & Gabbana in your closet? No. But it is wrong to assume this makes you better than any other human and it is sad to pursue this goal to the extent you forget to enjoy life.

I will live where I choose to live, drive what I choose to drive, wear what I like for the day, and do the best at whatever job I take, but I will always surround myself with the common people - for that is all I aspire to be.

Source:

Personal Life Experience