Respect

Things that garner my respect


being faithful to your spouse
I know so many men that are having affairs, the number is staggering.  Why do men find the need to seek sexual gratification elsewhere? From the female perspective,  it just makes them look small and weak.

disciplining your children
How many times have we been in a grocery store and have witnessed a child’s melt down and the parent to little to nothing, or make excused for the child.  What happened to teaching consequences to actions.

listening, actually listening when people are talking to you
I have spoken to so many people lately, just to have them turn around and ask me the same question I have just answered two minutes later.  People are so self involved lately, they can not come out of their own thoughts enough to stop and listen to the world around them, let alone the person standing directly in front of them.

driving obeying the simple rules of the road
It is no wonder there is so much road rage happening these days.  Again, so many people are so self involved and caught up in their own lives they can’t focus enough on the basic (like using your signal to merge or turn)

smiling as you pass a stranger on the street
When I was a young girl your neighbourhood was an extension of your home.  Everyone knew you and everyone said hello or at minimum smiled when you passed one another on the street.  Today it is a miracle when someone moves out of the way when you pass them on the street and don’t give you an evil glare for getting in their way.

optimism
Along with self involvement come pessimism.  “The whole world is against me”.  The glass is always half full, if you choose to look at it that way.

differing opinions that don’t turn into a heated argument or fist fights or temper tantrums
Remember the days of the debate teams when everyone shook hands and it was a healthy competition.

contentment with your own life, not having to keep up with the Jones’
Commercials and mass marketing are the downfall of society today.  We all need the latest and greatest and we have the need to tell everyone around us exactly what we have.  So many people look at me like I have two heads when I say I want to get rid of my cable television service.

finding joy for your job no matter what it is
A job is not just a pay cheque.  It is a form of responsibility and pride.  If I did my job half ass-ed I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror.  A strong work ethic is extinct in most people these days.  Everyone feel that they are owed and no longer have to work hard.

Even through all of this negativity in society today, I still am finding little gems that make me feel hope for the future:  A teenage girl working at Staples with a smile on her face every single time I’ve been in there, a child of two that says please and thank you, a elderly couple walking down the street still holding hands.  These little glimmers show that with an effort it is possible for all of us to become a great society and community.