Respect

Respect

"The three most ill-mannered sons of the earth:
a boy mocking an old man, a strong man swaggering in front of a sick one, a wise man jesting at the expense of a foolish one."
   ___ ancient Irish triad


    Good manners are nothing less than the respect that we owe a fellow being, an acknowledgment of another's presence and space wherein we retrain our own normal or unthinking behavior.
   The respect that is due to age has virtually evaporated in our society, which favors a fast-track youth culture. In the job market, on the streets, in the media, we see a growing disrespect for age. In this era when personal power and ability are paramount, to be sick is held to be the worst of misfortunes. Despite the wonderful technological discoveries that have banished so many diseases, fewer people are able to afford the health care that they need. People with mental disabilities and poor reading skills suffer a marginalization against which little headway is being made; the physically handicapped are little better understood than they, although at least society no longer mocks the unfortunate as a form of low-grade entertainment.
    The kinds of respect that we offer to other people are so often formulated from prejudged factors. The social status of an individual along with affluence, fame, or professional status; the relative age and importance of that person in society; his or her gender or religious background - all these factors color how we respond. Yet the respect owed to another human being bypasses all these designations. Respect
is a currency that must paid soul to soul, regardless of the externals.

"Monitor your own levels of respect today. Notice how they change according to the changing characteristics of those you meet. What factors change your behavior? In what ways can you exercise common courtesy to all equally?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]