R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I'll try and make this blog fast and quick to get through. :)

Respect. What does it mean to you? ...sorry about that.

Let's define it first:

RESPECT

1)To have high regard for

2)To avoid violation of

1. So when we hold someone in high regard, we typically see them as important. Whether they are important to us or just in general, we can have respect for them as a human being.

2. To avoid violation of is typically talking about non-human things like rules, laws, ideas, etc. Try explaining all that to a young kid and have them really understand it when you say that they need to respect their mom or house rules. After trying to explain to kids both of those definitions for the last 23 years, I've come to find that although those definitions are separate ideas, they are intertwined and cannot be separated. So I came up with an easy definition of my own to help kids and teens really understand the concept of respect.

Respect is seeing and showing someone's importance.

If we SEE the humans around us as important, we start to learn what it really means to respect someone. I can respect them for what they have to offer. I can respect their feelings and ideas (even if they don't align with mine). I can even learn to respect myself as I learn to see that just like the humans around me, I am unique and have something to offer this world.

The more I learn to see humans as important, the easier it becomes to show them(or yourself) that I do. I show them in the way I treat them. I show them in the way I communicate.

Example 1: If someone stops their car for me to cross the parking lot into the store, I can waive. Does it take much effort? No. But I showed them with my simple action of waiving my hand that I recognize that they're courteousness is not lost on me. They feel seen. They may even feel respected.

Example 2: When I don't agree with an idea someone has expressed, instead of communicating in a combative way, I can listen, ask questions, and try to see it from their perspective(we'll never really know what's in someone's head since we're not them). This doesn't mean I have to side with them and agree, but I can show them that I respect them just the same.

Now I'm realistic. I know that respect begets respect, begets respect. But maybe instead of expecting someone else to show respect to us first, we offer that respect and see what becomes of it.