National Respect Day

I have a considerable amount of respect for "RESPECT".  I demand it for myself, and I will give it to others.  That said, it must be earned.  You have it until you lose it, then it's a long road back sometimes to find it again.  Abraham Lincoln said, "If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem."  I do believe that with a lot of hard work and a change of heart to something better it can be regained.  Make no mistake, "Respect should not be confused with tolerance, since tolerance doesn't necessarily imply subordination to one's qualities but means treating as equal." (Wikipedia: Respect).  The opposite of respect is contempt.  I tolerate a lot; I don't respect everything I tolerate.

Respect comes in a few forms: language, gestures, personal actions toward a person or object.  

Language:
This is an everyday offering of respect, yourself included.  What comes out of your mouth shapes your character.  "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." (Proverbs 21:23)   Some cultures have what are called honorifics. Yeah, I'd never heard that term before either.  We get to be a little smarter together.  This is a word or expression that conveys respect when used in addressing or referring to a person.  An example that my husband would use when addressing me would be "Your Most Amazing Queen."  Then there is a respectful style.  This would be a legal or official way of stating something.

Gestures:
When you travel to another country, it is very wise to spend some time reading up on offensive or respectful gestures recognized in that country.  Now we have a few disrespectful gestures, mostly given on our nations highways, that we view as rude.  I respect myself enough to never use those.  When I have traveled, there have been gestures which are commonly used by most people in the U.S. and, while considered respectful here, are extremely offensive elsewhere.  There are quite a few, unfortunately, which get a lot of Americans in trouble or very embarrassed (only happened once to me- in Mexico- not going there).  Here is a great article I found to help us maintain good foreign relations.  Gesture article link
 
Personal Actions:
This is another area of respect offered day to day.  We can respect our bodies and our minds.  Each can be fed quality "meat" or "junk food."  We can respect our homes...I need to work on that one.  We can respect our community.  I love to volunteer.  I love my neighbors (most...see the first paragraph).  I respect my country and the Constitution.  I stand for the flag with my hand on my heart.  I vote.  I try to respect the environment (this has varying degrees as to what each of us consider enough).  I respect my husband (do not confuse this with blind submission....get your slippers yourself).  I respect my kids (do not confuse this with being equals...I am the boss and "Most Wise One"- their honorific for me).  Also important...I RESPECT MYSELF!  When this doesn't happen, people start to think that respect in other areas of their lives aren't deserved or even that they are worthy of it.  Sometimes others help them feed that thinking error.  Clint Eastwood said, "Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."  For further perspective, Henri Frederic Amiel said, "There is no respect for others without humility in one's self."  We don't want any big heads here.

Take some time to think about where you are on the respect scale in various areas of your life.  Be the best you.  Respect others.  Expect others to treat you with respect.  Confucius said, Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?"  Also remember the words of Laurence Sterne, "Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners."