The Body of Society
We talk about work as if it were a ladder: who gets to be at the “head,” who gets seen as the “brain.” But what if society isn’t a ladder at all - what if it’s a body? In a body, no role is menial. Every function, from the tiniest cell to the strongest muscle, matters to survival.
Blood cells carry oxygen. Connective tissue holds everything together. The gut metabolizes what sustains us. The immune system fends off what would destroy us. Every part has a function, and the whole collapses if any part is dismissed.
I leaned into this years ago, unexpectedly, by opening a coffee shop. I had no background in the industry - only in being what I jokingly called an elitist consumer. But I quickly realized how baristas, the very people who made the daily ritual possible, were treated as replaceable and disposable.
Have you ever pulled a perfectly timed espresso shot? Three seconds can be the difference between a bitter mess and the silky latte so many of us demand. Baristas are expected to keep that high bar of excellence daily in any cafe or adjacent environment, with little acknowledgment. They are involuntarily treated as technicians, craftspeople, therapists, companions, and many days even gatekeepers for high profile celebrities.
When I interviewed for open roles, I didn’t ask for polished perfection. I looked for authenticity and integrity. We designed the shop to function more like a co-op than a business: everyone gave feedback, we met regularly to check in on culture, we shared responsibility for making the space what it was.
Most notably, we refused to cut corners at the expense of our team’s financial stability - even though, shockingly, that was the industry standard. That choice mattered. When the pandemic lockdown descended in 2020, it meant every member of our team was eligible for pandemic assistance. Leaders don’t abandon their teams. They are the last to abandon ship.
And yet, outside those walls, society still overlooked them. Just as it overlooks:
- Farmers, who feed us while struggling to stay afloat
- Nurses, who are the backbone of medicine but are burning out
- Custodial staff, who keep infection at bay but remain unseen
- Teachers and mental health workers, who carry futures and crises alike on their shoulders with little support
If the body neglects its connective tissue or its bloodstream, it collapses. If society neglects its essential workers, it does too.
The real question is not: Who gets to be the brain? The real question is: When will we learn to honor every role as essential?
Because in a living system, no function is menial. When we treat teachers, nurses, custodians, or farmers as replaceable, we are rehearsing the collapse of the very society they keep alive.
sincerely,
amber eltaieb