To me, that phrase means that you should respect no one unless they've done something to earn it. Admittedly I read things very literally, but so do most kids and they're the ones who get told this. I think that's wrong. You can't just go around stamping on other people's sandcastles because they haven't earned your respect yet. Most people will never get a chance to prove they deserve an individual's respect, as you're not all that likely to see them for more then five seconds!
At camp this summer respect was a massive deal. When you're stuck in a bunk with 35 people, three showers and three toilets, a fair bit of respect is needed to make your way through the summer! We counsellors had to respect each other and understand when leeway was needed. We had to instantly give respect to our kids before we'd even had a conversation with them, and the same worked in reverse. Even the smallest things make a big difference. If someone, kid or counsellor, doesn't say 'please' when they ask you for something it can literally make you want to burst into tears! (To be fair, that particular example is unlikely to occur anywhere other then camp, but that's not the point!) We had to respect each other enough to do the small things that make every day work, and that's the same way it works in life.
You have to have some basic level of respect for all the strangers you meet in this world. If we didn't we'd spend our days pushing past each other and ignoring people we'd never met, all because they haven't earned our respect. That's just ridiculous.
Over and out.
At camp this summer respect was a massive deal. When you're stuck in a bunk with 35 people, three showers and three toilets, a fair bit of respect is needed to make your way through the summer! We counsellors had to respect each other and understand when leeway was needed. We had to instantly give respect to our kids before we'd even had a conversation with them, and the same worked in reverse. Even the smallest things make a big difference. If someone, kid or counsellor, doesn't say 'please' when they ask you for something it can literally make you want to burst into tears! (To be fair, that particular example is unlikely to occur anywhere other then camp, but that's not the point!) We had to respect each other enough to do the small things that make every day work, and that's the same way it works in life.
You have to have some basic level of respect for all the strangers you meet in this world. If we didn't we'd spend our days pushing past each other and ignoring people we'd never met, all because they haven't earned our respect. That's just ridiculous.
Over and out.
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