It is widely believed that if one climbs the ladder of power, they are imbued with respect but I think that's a small minded view of the dimwitted and a pigheaded view of the powerful. For those of us in between, respect is earned.
My director Todd who's the boss of my boss, has earned respect from me because daily his door is opened and he is always encouraging and talks to me when I have issues on my mind. It is for this reason, he earned my respect and in any given situation, I would support his cause.
Not all my bosses, however, have been that way. I once worked for someone who was never there and when they were there, they were short and always hurried when addressing me. This person did not receive my respect because they didn't even try to earn it. At that job, I tried my best because I wanted the respect of my patrons but in any of the hard work I did, I would not have devoted myself to that person and if the opportunity presented itself to usurp them, I gladly would have presented myself as a candidate based on my own honor and attention to those around me.
People we don't know are often imbued with respect by the weak minded and often worshiped like gods. Steve Jobs is respected because he made Apple computers which sucks the life out of people while devoting itself to little more than itself. I have 0 respect for Steve Jobs because he was power hungry and notorious for his ruthlessness to his own workers. I did not mourn his death because he was a false idol and when he died, in my eyes, so did his legacy.
Another example is Jerry Falwell Jr. Who many in the town of Lynchburg imbue with godlike status because of his family, but there is only one God and it's not Jerry Jr. His father put this town on the map and now he continues to grow it at an unwarranted pace, while lining his own pockets and putting people out of their livelihoods if they stand against him and his ideals. I have no respect for this man. An American man believed in diplomacy and democracy and when one stands against him, he is willing to open the floor to his constituency because he does not answer to only himself. That is monarchy and as an American, I can never agree with a monarchy. Call me a traditionalist and a conservative but I believe that we work together without a single person calling all the shots or we do not work at all.
The president works for the American people and I think we've strayed from this line of thinking as well. One does not make executive orders if the people vote against it. The people are not represented by other people like saintly intermediaries to god, we should represent ourselves and votes and petitions should still make a difference and they don't and lime Jerry Jr. This is why I don't respect the American political system any longer.
What I do respect are the ones who fight to their last for those initial ideas of what freedom and equality are all about. I respect soldiers who are willing to fight and die for our country but still remember that all life is sacred and man is fallible. I respect my friend PT who is in great shape and could definitely look down on other guys who do not offer eye candy and might even slow him down on his daily work out but he not only doesn't look down on others but lifts up and understands all people. I respect the people who live in low income neighborhoods but still give 100% of themselves to others and do not look at everyone as their enemy but rather they see everyone as a potential friend. I respect people who do not blame others for their situation, who can be objective, who love first and hold action as paramount. I respect people who when they see someone doing the wrong thing they try to help until they can no longer do so. I respect people who are accepting of help and actively seek to do the right thing and when their decisions affect others, I respect those who seek the opinions of those they affect.
Respect is earned by the individual. Respect is earned by people. CEO's, Kings, and people of power in every walk of life may have power but to earn respect, they have to be representative of a leader, a philosopher and one who is both humble and pure in their intent. We may not all make the cut, i n fact most won't but the desire to get there, earns my respect.
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