Respect

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me!" These wise words from Aretha Franklin are still relevant, believe it or not.

To me, the color of someone's skin or the religion that they practice couldn't matter less. If they respect me, I respect them. It's kind of hard to come by nowadays. We're all so self-absorbed and we pay too much attention to social media rather than social issues. I'm not perfect, you're not perfect, heck, no one is perfect.

We're told in kindergarten that respect is important, and it's the basis for the Golden Rule. Treat others how you want to be treated? Why does that seem to be so difficult? Everyone has their own motives, their own reason for doing things and a different goal in mind. Does that mean that we have to disregard the feelings and beliefs of those individuals that "get in the way"? No.

You can dislike someone, and trust me, I dislike a lot of people. But that doesn't mean that I'll disrespect them. I try, to the best of my capabilities, to keep my opinions to myself. It's hard sometimes, but you have to think about it this way; if someone were looking you in the face and saying these things to you, how would you feel?

Respect is so many different things, its sincerely and genuinely caring for someone. Checking in on them to see how they're doing, making sure they're okay. It's helping them with any issue they may have, regardless of what it will cost you. You don't have to love someone to respect them, you just have to be a decent human being.

There are a lot of people that I don't see eye to eye with. There's a lot of people that don't see eye to eye with me. That's just a part of life. Not everyone will be in one-hundred percent agreement with each other, and that's totally okay. There are groups, supremacy groups, who don't care about others, they care about their superiority. That's scary and terrifying and unbelievable.

It's so incredibly shocking how little empathy some people can possess. I think of myself as a compassionate person, I think I get along well with others and I identify well with others if they're in need. This is such a huge part of respect. Being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes or seeing a certain situation through their eyes will make life so much easier for you to understand.

"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die." -Maya Angelou