On the heels of a day dedicated to honouring those who sacrificed so much for us, and in a world ripe with sanctimonious attitudes, I canāt help but wonder whatever happened to respect?
Thereās an old saying that respect is earned, not given. Or is that trust?
Either way, I think that expression is completely out of date and out of touch.
Why shouldnāt we offer everyone our respect (or trust for that matter)? Is it because of our own jaded past, our wretched experiences with unsavoury souls that makes us hold that trust and respect close, unwilling to lend it to anyone new?
When you think about it, that really isnāt fair. How dare we let our past cast a shadow on our future? Is that fair to anyone new and innocent who could turn out to be a great friend, a partner or a colleague?
Thereās a saying I learned a while ago about not āshould-ingā on ourselves or others. āYou should do this,ā or āyou should do that.ā Weāve all done it, and weāve all heard it. Itās seemingly innocent advice giving, but it is also unnecessary. Plus, itās really not nice to āshould onā anyone.
Now, more than ever, a little more compassion and kindness is needed in this world. People are stressed about their health, their jobs, their future, their children. Itās making us all a little on edge and even pushing some over. Sadly, many people have become cold and callous. Whether itās over differing political views or COVID-19 beliefs.
People just do not offer kindness as freely as they cast judgment. And everyone seems to have their own self-righteous opinion of everything.
I canāt say Iām not guilty of the same. Especially with all the stress and despair in the world right now.
But what if, instead of robbing Peter to feed Paulās ego, we gave each other the benefit of the doubt?
What if we offered respect to one and all? Itās free to give. And if someone lets you down, itās also free to take back. Or maybe they will surprise you and earn even greater respect.
Perhaps the world could be a gentler place if we all just showed a little more compassion to each other first.
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jennifer@vernonmorningstar.com
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