Respect: self, others and the planet

Love is a feeling that is born spontaneously from the heart. But we are required to maintain a minimum respect for our environment and also for ourselves. Love and respect are different things, although it is true that we always show respect for what we love. And sometimes respect makes it easier for a loving attitude to emerge.

We usually have respect and admiration for people or objects to which we give a special value and who are somehow above us: religious figures, great artists, eminent scientists and even famous athletes.

But respect should not only include that vertical dimension, but extend horizontally to our peers and even to beings that we usually consider inferior, such as plants and animals.

The meaning of universal respect

the word respect It comes from the Latin respectusmade of re (again and spectus (“to see, to look at”), where the word «spectacle» comes from. Indeed, we have before us the spectacle of the world with its variety of beings and objects.

The question is whether we go through life as barbarians who do not know how to appreciate the beauty and meaning of what surrounds us, or whether we try to notice the value that it contains. It’s about toact with benevolence and equanimity, when the tendency would be to do it through the filter of our prejudices and desires, of what we like or dislike.

The Buddhist term karuna synthesizes the values ​​of good will and consideration towards all beings. To respect is, then, to “look” with attention and benevolence. Being careful is, in popular language, acting delicately.

without respect there is no harmony

If we look for the secret code of reality, we notice a tendency towards harmony. The universe, with its dance of stars and planets, seems to be governed by musical laws, as the astronomer Kepler maintained.

The whole of nature is, as a whole, harmonious, and humanity dreams of a fairer societyless inharmonious, we could say.

In all ancient civilizations, the human being has been considered as situated -really and symbolically- Between the sky and the earth. Hence, at the same time, the respect for the celestial or the sacred, in the sense of venerating the Spirit, the origin of everything.

as i was saying Confucius: “If the sacred is not respected, there is nothing on which to set the conduct.”

The consideration for the old people and ancestors is also a value that traditional cultures tend to have, but that tends to diminish in today’s society, where only the new is worshiped.

He respect for nature it is also essential. We are not separate from the natural environment; from it we have emerged and it is the energies of the sun, the air and the rain that keep us alive.

Without the humble bee that pollinates the fields, now sick due to contamination, most of the plant foods that reach our tables could not do so. Plants and animals, simply being what they are, participate in the sacred and deserve to be treated with respect.

In the shamanic cultures Mother Earth is usually asked for forgiveness for having had to kill, in order to eat, one of her creatures. And in Hinduism everything is considered sacred, in the sense that the universal Atman or Spirit dwells in all beings.

When traveling through India, you can see the peaceful cows roaming freely. Westerners often ask the natives why they don’t eat those cows that only cause discomfort. The answer is that the cow represents the mothergives them milk and fuel for the home fire, so killing her would be disrespectful and even a crime in their eyes.

The Christian conception that God places the man in the midst of creation and he can use it, although symbolically correct, he has lent himself to believe that we can abuse natural resources. If precisely the human being, due to his intelligence, is at the center of the natural order, it is to care for and respect it.

Respect for oneself and for others

The philosopher Pythagoras said: “Above all, respect yourselves.” It is one’s responsibility be true to the best of yourselfeither.

The body accompanies us always and allows our mobility and capacity for expression. It seems reasonable to care for it with healthy food, cleanliness, and adequate rest and movement.

The lie is the enemy of one’s own dignity. keep commitments acquired is to respect oneself and others.

Not abandon noble aspirations, even though routine and material needs seem to prevent it. It will be worse to regret what has not been done.

know how to listen

One of the ways to show respect for someone is to listen to what they need to tell us. Find a place and a time that allows that communication. It is not easy: we may not be very interested, but we know that this person needs to vent or seek advice. On another occasion, we will be the ones who need to feel accompanied and understood.

Dialogue, speaking and listening, requires some effort. Often these are shared monologues and you don’t really listen. You have to practice active listening. If the other person takes a long time, it is delicately indicated that the conversation cannot be continued now, but can be done on another occasion.

Respect is directly related to dignity

all human beings, for the simple fact of existing, deserve respect. Which means that they must live with dignity without lacking food and shelter. And without being subjected to violence due to their condition, gender, race or beliefs.

Using religious language: we are all children of God. We all come into the world naked, suffer the same joys and misfortunes, and in the end death awaits us. What reason is there to feel superior to others?

there is one here paradox: no one is more than anyone and, at the same time, each person is unique and unrepeatable. Equality and hierarchy seem antagonistic concepts, when it is not so. As Dr. Eduardo Alfonso summarized: “Men are equal in essence, not so much in power, and unequal in presence.”

That is to say, that basic equality does not preclude the chance to stand out. It is necessary to value that certain people, due to their qualities and effort, achieve objectives that are difficult to achieve for the majority. It just happens that basic innate dignity can be added a plus of admiration.

On this planet, which belongs to everyone, no one should suffer unnecessary due to poverty or live with our heads down due to fear caused by other human beings.

The tolerance It is another facet of respect. It means admitting dialogue and listening to proposals that are different from our way of thinking. It does not necessarily imply agreeing, or thinking that all ideologies are on the same level. In any case, an idea is fought without attacking the person who wields it.

The basis of dignity is trying not to harm others

For Hinduism and Buddhism, the notion of ahimsa, “non-violence”. Without forgetting that we can act from three different levels: thought, word and deed. We disrespect not only through inappropriate material acts, but also by using offensive words or thinking badly of someone for no real reason.

It is clear that if we all acted respectfully social ills would diminish. That would be an important subject in schools. Good education means teaching notions of civility and turning the child’s natural egocentrism into openness to others and their needs.

When someone wrong work, we say that what it does is “ugly”. On the contrary, we like to see “beautiful” gestures, such as when a seat is given to an older person on the bus.

The ethics It is therefore related to the esthetic. But it has its roots in metaphysics. We should respect everything around us because we are part of a great unit. If we harm someone, we are actually harming ourselves. Like a thief stealing from himself.

He ego pride It leads us to consider ourselves more important than the rest. But everything is interconnected: even if a finger pretends to feel independent from the hand of which it is a part and this from the arm, from the body and so on, the truth is that such absolute independence does not exist.

Also our soulswhich shine with intelligence and sensitivity, are rays of the same spiritual sun.