by Donna Brown
A cog is a gear, or people with disabilities in this case. The spokes are the supporting people of the wheel, which stands for CEO in businesses or a governing country.
Would you think that we are all like the cog on a wheel? We all are not uniformly alike in shape, size or looks, so what is that cog business all about anyway? A cog is a gear with knobs on the outside of a wheel. They make watches run and help trains go up mountains, I was told. They are quite useful. I always thought that the cog was on the inside of a wheel, but unlike the spokes that are the support of a wheel, the cogs work differently. The cog keeps things running just as well as any working class of the world supports the country, or the wheel.
It is said that the earth is like a grain of sand in the universe. As the cogs on a wheel have their purpose, those grains have their purpose, too. I am sure that, if they had a voice, the grains of sand would say that they are satisfied with where they are. They get washed by the ocean and dried by the sun. There are times that some of the grains of sand get washed down into that great ocean and never see the sun again. So I could say that it would be similar for us cogs: we stay satisfied in our own environment until some larger uncontrollable happening comes along. Then we feel as if we might be washed away, but do not know if we will see the sun again. Like those grains of sand, we are a minority in the whole world of things. We try to be satisfied as time goes by. Then the wonderful world of science and technology comes along and washes over us, and we need to spread our wings and see what can happen.
Spokes are used to stabilize the wheel and support whatever is upon it. It is kept clean and shiny for the most part, but can be broken and dented enough to where it will be replaced by other spokes. That does not mean that the new spokes would be any better, but the users, the wheels, will make sure that it will support them as well as possible. The cogs keep the spokes strong so the wheel can keep everything moving. All of these can be applied to the human being. If the folks in the working classes did not work, how would anything ever get done? The answer for a few manufacturers has been the technology of automatons run by one person or robotics. This has been the start of a great downfall for many cities and countries. If there is nothing left for a supporting class of people, what happens to those people? There is a beginning of the birth of a revolution. I cannot understand why the people in the U.S. government simply cannot see how our country will see more trouble as time passes. The downfall for companies that have expanded to automation is discrimination, much like what we are now experiencing.
Many people think and ask the question, "What is my reason for being here? There are some of us who find out and worry about it; others really don't care. It is a privilege to be one of the greatest living organisms on earth, so we think. We are supposed to be the smartest of all of the living things, but it is the ordinary animal that can survive in the harshest elements. We are frightened of the unknown when there is some disaster. We depend upon our prayers, relatives, friends, government or insurance to help us in our time of need. That is the norm for most of us. We have gotten into a lethargic mode to where we either say, "How horrible for that to happen" and rely on others to take care of the situation, or ignore it altogether. If a situation is tragic enough to where it affects everyone, then we all seem to pull together and help one another. That includes every class of people in the United States.
It does seem that all of those folks that are in the celebrity or sports careers do their best to help when needed. We hope that they do not use a disaster just to advertise their names for their own purposes. Those in the business fields are usually the ones that keep quiet about what they do in their businesses. It is big money that can really help. I hope that those who have the means would look beyond a persons disability before judging him or her.
I really do not understand why we ordinary people with disabilities have to prove ourselves to be better than the next person. We might be different from anyone else, but might have more ability; for example, a person with disabilities may have more experience than a non disabled person in a job opening, but there are a few ignorant big wheels that keep going with old ways. There should never be discrimination in race or gender as to how much a person receives in salary either.
It seems that the executives are not worth what they make. No one person is worth $6 million a year for a salary in any business or organized charity. I know the argument that the top dog of any organization is making a living doing what they do, but what about an ordinary person who works for minimum wage? We people with disabilities do our best to make a living, and rely on political officials agreeing on the rise or fall of that minimum wage. That was a problem for the disabled years ago, but the big wheels these days are mostly concerned that their ride will be kept smooth by keeping the same old spokes polished.
When it comes down to living, we all are in the same boat. But there are a few people who think they are larger and greater. It is the people who have the means to help, and have the gears to slip funds to those who can keep themselves the controllers, who wreck the rides. It depends on the individual to do a kindness. They can be any ordinary cog, but a wheel with a little too much shine can blind and hide the truths. A well-run vehicle, one that doesnt require too much grease, will stay strong and dependable for a long time.