I think that a lot of people here are confusing respecting someone with treating someone with respect.
Let's use this for a moment;
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveOrion
Temperament is great & so is a little respect. You said that respect had to be earned here (can't recall the thread, but I think that was you) yet I have a daughter your age and I still consider her a kid. She works full time & goes to college, is highly intelligent but hasn't gained the wisdom that age brings. So I consider you a kid, nothing personal thats just the way it is. I've served in the military, worked my entire life, supported my family, started my own business and ran it for 20 years, and now own a beautiful home on 3 1/2 acres thats completely paid for & I have no debt whatsoever, yet I should earn your respect??? What exactly have you done to earn my respect??? If you're going to say "started a message board", well, that ain't gonna do it for me.
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Anyone want to argue that Mr. Orion here has accomplished quite a bit in his life, that is worthy of respect? Absolutely, he has! However...if it doesn't fall within your particular value set, then who really cares? Consider...Dave has served in the Armed Forces. As a vet myself, I value
and respect that. Not everyone will. He has worked his entire life, supported his family and ran his own business. I also value and respect
that. Not everyone will. Thing is, Dave picked up some life experience along the way. I'm guessing that Dave is around my age. So, here comes a goofy looking kid from California, that creates a message board and transplants himself into New York. We'll call him...oh, I dunno...
Halx. Now Halx is just another 20 something that still forgets to wash behind his ears.
But...it doesn't take too long talking to "the kid" to realize that, dispite his lack of formal education, has a head on his shoulders. He's not a "reactionary". He figures things out. And while we may not always come to the same
conclusion, I can appreciate how he arrived there. It's respect. Halx has also forgotten more about technology than I'll ever know. Then again...it's not in my value set. I just don't care that much about it. But...I do respect it. That's key here, people. Respecting that which you may not value.
So, while "respect" doesn't
have to necessarily be "earned"...that, I think, is the best kind. The rest all sort of falls into place. But in order to get there, you have to open your mind up long enough, and treat the other guy with enough respect, and you will, before long, find that the other guy has now "earned" your respect.