Respect is a LOST Art.

I think respect is...broken beyond repair. What it actually used to mean and what it means now are two different things. Our parents came from the previous generation. And our grandparents came from before then. They had respect.

To me, respect is taking someone else's opinion, agreed or not, and accepting it.
...respect is talking nicely to someone, even if they don't deserve it.
...respect is opening the door for an elder.
...respect is listening quietly.
...respect is talking only to people's faces and not behind their backs.
...respect is doing what you're told without complaining.
...respect is doing what you're asked, and something additional.
...respect is answering with respect.
...respect is reaching out and taking the time make a difference in someone's day.

Respect has changed the world. When our parents were kids, and their parents were kids, things were different.
As respect changes, and the definition is degraded, it changes the world. The less respect there is, the less of a world we have.

"We don't respect people because they deserve respect. We respect them, because we're respectful people." *

Jesus demonstrated to us how to live:
"You have heard that the law of Moses says, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His Sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."*
I imagine how different this world would be if we obeyed that continuously....

*Youth pastor's wife.

*Matthew 5:43-48