Respect
Monday, September 4, 2006 16:38
I am amazed by the number of people who don’t understand this word at all. Sometimes I am horrified by how many terrible people there are in the world. And then I realise that the most awful things ever said or done are so because of lack of respect. Some people don’t understand respect; they only understand fear. It is the way they’ve been taught to live, to be, to treat, to gain and give power. Here’s my attempt to define it again….
Kindness without respect is pity.
Generosity without respect is charity.
Teaching without respect is showing off.
Protecting without respect is an ego trip.
Chivalry without respect is just a stereotype.
Appreciating beauty without respect is just plain leching.
Compliments minus respect are flattery.
Responsibility without respect is a burden.
Love without respect is neediness.
‘Space’ without respect is indifference.
Caring without respect is not caring at all.
I want nothing that’s given without respect. And if I ever give you something without respect, please throw it right back on my face. Respect is a two-way street after all. And a way of life.
It permeates every aspect of life, every human interaction, every feeling, every conversation, every relationship. I see it as recognition. Of another life form. I see it as empathy and understanding and acceptance and appreciation. I see the power that can be snatched and lost. Then I see power that radiates from within and its source is always…RESPECT.
This is something I’ve wanted to say for a long, long time. And I haven’t. Because I didn’t respect myself enough to voice such a basic thought. And I didn’t respect you enough to have the patience or intelligence to listen.
Thank you.
medha
says:
September 4th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Loved this post!
“Love without respect is neediness”.
It indeed is!
ideasmith
says:
September 4th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
By the way, is this Medha Sengupta? And if so, are you unable to sign the comment with your blogger URL? I’ll need to check my template then.
ideasmith
says:
September 4th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
By the way, is this Medha Sengupta? I ask because you haven’t left your URL behind and I’d like to know if there’s a bug in my template that doesn’t allow non-Wordpress users to sign in.
sundar
says:
September 4th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
respect..an underlying thread essential for connectedness in interfaces…nice post…
Ideasmith
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 4:05 am
Medha, Sundar:) Glad you liked it!
Is this Medha Sengupta? I ask because you haven’t left a URL and I wonder if its because Wordpress isn’t allowing you to sign in with a Blogger id.
medha
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 5:19 am
haha..yes babes, its Medha Sengupta.
medha
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 5:21 am
And i just dint fill in the website option.
SwB
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 5:32 am
so true … beautifully said IS!
Ideasmith
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 5:56 am
Medha: Ah, cool….was just wondering…am still trying out iron out the kinks in the new blog.
SwB: Thengyu saar!
Khush
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 7:39 am
simply awesome and a prolific take on RESPECT.
Me
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 8:05 am
Sex without respect is a fuck
Ideasmith
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 8:19 am
I wonder who the ‘me’ is who had such a worthy thought but didn’t feel like leaving behind a name or a link. I wish he/she had.
Me
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 9:19 am
Sometimes there’s a thrill in anonymity.
Ideasmith
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 9:23 am
Arrrrggghhh…..too much of that going around these days, ‘Me’!!
tbk
says:
September 5th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
so do you think need + respect = love??
power without respect is abuse
Maya
says:
September 6th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Btw, Me = Maya
ideasmith
says:
September 7th, 2006 at 4:16 am
tbk: I like the power equation but I don’t think the love equation is that simple. This isn’t arithmetic after all.
Maya: I loved the thought. I wish I’d thought of it first and included it in the post. Thank you for dropping by!
Seema
says:
September 20th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Hey!!
Liked your new workshop.
And I ound this as the best post here.
IdeaSmith
says:
September 20th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
@Seema: Thank you, ma’am
Gay best friend needed « XX Factor says:
November 26th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
[...] And most of all, we genuinely, really will RESPECT you. (That does not appear to be a top priority with the men we has encountered but we gets a feeling it might matter as much to you as it does to us.) [...]