RESPECT

Respect is a word we seem to have forgotten. One of its definitions we most often overlook is “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.”

You really don’t need to know if someone is a Democrat or Republican, Black, or White, Straight or Gay, in order to show them respect. You may not agree with their beliefs or their lifestyle but learn to respect them as a person. 

I see people’s lives nearly ruined because they said something rude or insensitive or just downright stupid when they were younger. Then someone wants to pull it out of the trash and throw it in someone’s face. Didn’t we all do or say something stupid when we were younger? I often tell people and my kids that when I was younger, I skipped right past “young and foolish” and when straight to stupid. I would hope I have learned to be a little smarter as I’ve aged and more respectful of others.

It seems we’ve got so wrapped up in what WE want or think we deserve that stepping on anyone else is acceptable to get what we think we deserve. Somehow, we’ve come to think that we are due our “rights” regardless of the rights it might take from others. We see it today when medical professionals encourage everyone to wear masks and many businesses require them for entry. Yet, somehow, people will go without saying it is their “right” not to wear one. A friend of mine on Facebook said it well when he posted a picture of a mask and said, “it’s NOT a political statement, it’s an IQ test”. If you will not wear one for yourself, respect those around you and WEAR ONE! I don’t like it either, but I try to respect others. Try doing the same.

We saw it too, in some of the actions that occurred during the BLM protests when small minority businesses were damaged or destroyed AND we saw it recently when armed protestors forced their way into our nation’s Capital and police and protestors lost their lives.

Don’t you think it’s time to start showing more respect for each other and the rights of others, even if you may not agree with them? Let’s try it and see if it doesn’t make a difference.