Depending on how you answer the question posed in today’s title, this post may be deemed a wee bit controversial. For whatever reason, most people have rooted strong and intense feelings in their perception of respect, and I’ve come to learn that if you don’t happen to agree with their own personal answer, it is probable that an argument will ensue.
I experienced this first-hand with my Opa when he and I had a chat about respect. He perceived it to be given, regardless of the circumstance, whereas I perceive it to be earned, in all contexts.
I think a lot of people who consider respect to be given, no matter the scenario, are of older generations. Considering how they were raised and the values their parents instilled in them, it isn’t exactly difficult to determine the reasoning behind this; previous generations were, in my own opinion, a hell of a lot more respectful in general than younger generations are these days, and it for this reason I think respect transcends, in their opinion, through life, and is therefore always given.
I don’t know about you, but I have certainly encountered some elderly individuals who are some of the nastiest, most entitled, impatient and rude people I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. If I were to view respect in the same manner as previous generations do, I would give these abhorrent old fucks respect without any resistance. But, because I don’t think shit behaviour should ever be rewarded, regardless of how many rings are around your tree, I absolutely believe respect to be earned.
Assuming respect is given in all contexts seems extremely ignorant to me, and I take issue with the idea of extending respect toward someone who themselves is anything but. To some, this might seem wrong, but that is how I see it.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
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