The Commoners

There is actually nothing wrong with being a commoner. We wake up at certain hours of the morning, then we go to our usual workplaces, get stuck in the same traffic, we go home, do our errands and chores, cook or get dinner, and at a certain hour we will fall asleep, recharging our cells for the next day to fuel our activities. For most of us this is what we call living or even in some extreme case, surviving. But then again there are some species, with exactly similar features who would not accept the fact that they too are just commoners just like the rest of us.

Then the problems arise. Call it self-respect or even arrogance, members of this species felt like they are actually special enough to be handled with respect and dignity. They felt the need to stand out from the bunch. But then again maybe this is not the perfect time yet for them to enter the upper strata. They do not have enough of the key x-factors, mainly in the form of assets, power, lineage, or luck, to punch a notch above the average. Therefore this group would feel frustrated, helpless, and tired of being pushed around like the rest of us, the commoners.

It was like as if they were so close to the comfort zone that they were looking for, but haven’t yet reached the garden behind the gate. They may mingle with the upper crowds, shop in the same luxury boutiques, even hangout in the same uber-chic watering holes. But to survive, they need to be extra careful on when to hold and release their resources. Unlike the group of people above them, who do not seemed to be too bothered about this.

These “special” commoners may drive cars, but they cannot afford a chauffeur or an assigned parking spot. They may rent a reasonable living space, but not yet able to own one. Or even if they have an abode, it might not be the address that they felt they should reside at. They may be able to travel abroad, but budget hotels and airlines are still their common vehicle.

They would probably snigger at the commoners as if we were lacking of something special to become one of them. They always look up to the skies while forgetting to be grateful that they are already somewhere reasonably saver. An area where they don’t have to line up for poor people’s rice, drinking water, cooking oil or commodity gas.

And the thing that would hit them the most is the simple fact that they still have to queue the long lines of the banks. This group hates waiting. They wanted to be treated as royalties, but they do not have what it takes to be considered one. They would hate how the priority customers would cut their lines without even asking for permissions. They would envy the special deluxe rooms that would accommodate those big rollers. And they would promise themselves, that one day they too would have enough business for the banks or other merchants to take them seriously.

Go ahead. Plan, do, and get them.

Meanwhile the rest of us commoners have an easier way to avoid getting cut off of our lines: Bribe the tellers with cakes and cookies, find an obscure branch or simply be there early.




Concerned commoner,





Prof. Utonium

Copyright: Opening Image. Corbis © 2008