You get what you give
RESPECT IS RECIPROCAL
If you attempt to build a bridge across a river, you don't do it from one side of the river, you have to start the process from both sides to allow for balance and workability. Respect is not a trophy to be won, a prize awarded to someone for an achievement, or a duty demanded by a position, it is something that everyone deserve. You don't respect someone because of their status, you respect people because they are human. Respect is not a vertical transaction, it is a horizontal exchange between proper humans.
In conversation, you don't listen just to respond, but absorb, consider, and value the words of others, that is respect. You are building a foundation, you are building a bridge from your side. When a person feels heard, when they feel that their perspective has landed in a receptive mind, they are far more likely to listen to you in return. They also starts to form a bridge from their side; and then, a whole bridge is formed, and understanding can flow smoothly.
Respect is the bedrock of every meaningful relationship. You cannot demand love, friendship, or loyalty while offering contempt, indifference, or disregard. Respect is the currency of connection. When you honour someone else's boundaries, they are more likely to honour yours. When you speak to a another person with kindness, even in disagreement, you create a space where that kindness is returned.
When you respect others, you plant a seed, and you reap the same as harvest. You cannot reap what you have not sown. Start planting today, the seed you hope to harvest tomorrow. Offer a listening ear, a kind word, an acknowledgment of effort, and grace for imperfections. Show respect, not as a strategy, but as a principle. The bridge of respect can only be crossed once it is built from both sides. Respect is reciprocal, you get what you give.
To a better you, Kamikun John.
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