A midwife’s realisation of how she perceives the value of different job roles
In spite of the best of intentions and all the will in the world, I can feel that I am still polluted by a consciousness that has certain jobs as more important than others and I get beautifully pulled up on this often. When for example one of the Maternity Care Assistants shares about her PhD – a tinge of surprise in me that is filthy judgemental, or a cleaner talks about their other jobs and plans, and my subtle expectations that have categorised this role are exposed. I cannot deny the whisper of disbelief or surprise that exposes a pre-judgement of where different people and professions sit in society’s ‘ladder of importance’.
There is also the aspect of how I perceive myself, working as a midwife. Again, still ever so slightly but foully polluted by the fact that I am less than a doctor, more than a nurse, pathetic alongside a consultant etc, etc… Whilst I would swear I want to have nothing to do with such beliefs and thoughts, there must be something in me that calls for this categorisation and therefore positioning of us all on this ladder; something in me that has been planted and imposed throughout this life, in utero, pre-conceptually and almost certainly in lifetimes previously.
It goes against our nature to think like this, so what is going on?
Free of these thoughts we are innately inclusive, collaborative, and unconditionally supportive of those around us and actually ourselves. Yet most of us are crippled by self-doubt or false bravado to cover up our insecurity; layers of coping mechanisms we have accepted as the only way to deal with life.
I know these thoughts are not true and as have mentioned am shown this over and over when my subtle but present opinion is turned upside down by the truth of what stands before me.
This is worth exploring because there are so many aspects of our lives that are caught up in preconceived ideas… the meaning of family, what it is to be a woman/man, how to parent and as discussed here a tier system of job importance.
Where do these ideas come from? And when under the microscope of review, do they make any sense whatsoever?
There has been much effort put into equality at work (mainly focussed on gender) and much research into the different jobs different people tend to do depending on socio-economic factors, education and/or geographical location. On top of this, pay has been thoroughly investigated and the diversity/discrepancies that abound here are clear to see. Has much changed? Or are any changes superficial and aimed to appease any disquiet?
The thing is, it is not about pay or gender, it is about value, true equality and the embrace of our innate natures that have us working together at least deeply respectfully if not harmoniously and with the same focus on all of our deepening and advance.
To value ourselves, each other and whatever work we do is fundamental and essential, as is the expansion of the word ‘work’ or the re-claimation of it from the reduced definition of it being our ‘9-5’ paid job.
Our work is 24/7, at our place of work, at home, out and about, when we are alone, we are at work for ourselves and each other (the entirety of humanity), setting, maintaining and deepening the standards with which we define life; each and every one of our steps either confirming the broken, dis-eased model we are now living in or lighting the way home.
It is an insidious set up in the world where professions, genders, nationalities, religions set us apart from one another and on a false tiered system of greater or lesser importance. It is covertly, if not overtly, accepted that a doctor is more valuable than a nurse; a nurse more valuable than a domestic and so on and so on and so on…
Life as it is now, is evidence of where this leaves us. And I for one am done with being polluted by the toxicity of false thoughts about how it all works.
So with grand reverence for all that is on offer, it is to be daily, moment by moment practise of clocking what I am letting run the show, kicking to the kerb the intrusion of divisive thoughts and actions, becoming super astute about the intercepting concepts and very simply, more and more consistently being aligned to the source that supports, beholds and embraces us, equally and in One-ness.
