Character Pillars: Respect

Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you many blessings, and hope for a beautiful future. Let's continue talking about the character pillars...

Respect is something we demand from others (whether earned or not) but not something we necessarily require from ourselves. It's easy to show respect to some people, while others we brush off with an air of superiority. 

While respect does encompass holding someone in high esteem, it also reflects such notions as civility, courtesy, decency, dignity, tolerance, and acceptance. 

Respect is highly valued by prisoners, but mostly on a one-way street. The same man that demands respect from you will the next moment be on the phone cussing out his girl. The same man who demands respect when you bump against him in the hallway ("Excuse me!") is the same man who sees you coming and refuses to move aside to let you pass. 

I don't think this duplicitous trait is exclusive to prisoners though. It's easy as human beings to want respect, but fail to give it. Until we get outside of ourselves and start seeing everyone with equal value, we won't build the pillar of respect. It doesn't cost much to give the grocery clerk a smile. To thank the bagger. To help the mother with the crying child. To let someone merge with their car. To speak with kindness to your child. To call your mother. To be civil, courteous, and decent. 

We all want respect, so why not give some? It's a rewarding investment, and you just might be surprised how giving others respect makes you feel.