Ok, folks. Time to talk about respect and how important it is. I’d like your feedback and especially tactics that have worked for you when you encounter someone who shows you that they have no respect for your ideas or beliefs.
I believe it’s extremely important to have mutual respect between people. This goes all the way from people you meet on the street, to people you teach or work with, to friends and family members, to husbands, wives, partners and children. What is mutual respect? It’s acknowledging that the other person’s beliefs, although you may not believe that way yourself, are still valid and good for them. That has to go both ways–from both people. If mutual respect isn’t there, then you can’t have a decent, intelligent conversation with the person and the foundation for any relationship is cracked.
You can agree to disagree if you have mutual respect. Having respect doesn’t mean instantly changing your mind to match what the other person says; it means it’s ok to think your thoughts and it is alright for them to think theirs. Agreeing to disagree is perfectly valid and can lead to better understanding. We should all, I think, try to learn from each other.
Or am I just naive? Go ahead, tell me. Twice now in the last year, I’ve run into people from different religious backgrounds that have immediately begun criticizing my religious views when they find out what they are. One: if you don’t like my views, maybe you shouldn’t ask me about them. Two: I respect their beliefs even though I do not agree with them. I would never insult their holy book, their fellow believers, or their spiritual leaders or prophets. The amount of energy these two people have poured into criticizing is amazing.
Is it a cultural thing? The United States was founded, in part, on the basis or idea of religious freedom. Our Constitution states that no “state” religion can be ordered… people can have whatever religious belief they find useful for themselves. But along with that freedom, there comes responsibility–you have to be responsible enough to understand that everyone doesn’t have to be just like you. The people who have been so negative about my religion don’t seem to understand the whole idea behind religious freedom…
This is something we need to have discussions about! Let’s try to respect each other and agree to disagree when necessary, but let’s keep talking and learning!
