In today’s society, so many people are focused on their titles. Why? CEO, President, VP, Ph.D., M.D., Partner, Principal, etc.. But why do we need titles? Is that what defines you? No! What defines you is your character, love, compassion, drive, dedication, virtues, love, and more love. I am sure many of you have heard the saying ” that you should treat the Custodian, the same way you treat the Principal.” Why? Because our title is Human. It is not custodian, principal, ceo, garbage man nor dean. (I intentionally left off the capitals because they don’t matter). 

While, one person may be going to school to achieve her Ph.D., working countless hours focusing only on studying; there is a single mom who is raising her family of three. That mom is working two jobs, preparing meals for her family, managing her home, paying the bills, cleaning her house, driving her kids all over, and giving all she has out of ‘love.’ Is her title of Mom, worth any less than that of the Ph.D.? Unfortunately, in today’s society, it is! And we need to change that, quickly.

Sure, the Ph.D. may be able to explain the mathematical equation or what environmental engineering is all about. BUT the custodian can tell you how to wax the floor, so the kids don’t fall or how to keep a gymnasium full of spectators clean and organized. Sure the MD may be able to help you with your heart condition, but a mom of an autistic child can tell you how to calm a special needs child down to avoid hurting himself.

We need to understand that every one of us is HUMAN first. We are not titles, and no one matters more than others. Of course, people should know your specialty, in case they need your service, but they do not need to know your title. OK, so at this point, many of you are either saying “Let’s Go!!” or this is “Complete Bullsh…, I worked my butt off for this title, I deserve to use it.” But why is it, that you need to use that title? Didn’t the mom work her butt off for her title? Of course, she did! But she didn’t earn a degree, that would give her the title CEO, nor the money that comes along with it. And that is where we have gone wrong. Money does not buy humanism, love does!

A plumber, who has spent years fixing toilets, clearing clogs and installing pipes is sometimes faced with a sense of inferiority when asked what he does for a living. Now double that inferiority when in a room full of ceos. Why? If it wasn’t for him, the CEO’s would be going to the bathroom in an outhouse. He has no college degree to earn him a title, except maybe Master Plumber. But at the end of the day, he is a plumber, but most importantly, a HUMAN. His title does not matter; what matters is that he can help someone in need; as can the mom, when her friend, the CEO, calls her to carpool his son to soccer practice.

The mom can call her attorney when she needs help with the estate left to her by her grandmother, the hotel owner. Just think about this. What if we all gathered together with black t-shirts, pants and sneakers without a title, we would all treat everyone the same way, because titles do not matter. Some people are just better at one skill than another. Some are better at masonry, others at teaching, and others dealing with an injury. Some are better at caring for the young, others at economics, and still others at caring for lawns. We all have unique skills; no skill is better than the other. Just remember, we are HUMANS, let that be your title.

We are all a flock heading in the same direction. We all need each other to help us get there.

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:2