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Respectfully Yours…Unconditionally!
August 16, 2010 - Def: respect; to admire, to place in esteem, to regard, to be considerate of
Respect must be earned. How often do we hear this? What do you think?
I disagree with the statement. I have learned that respect must be given, freely and unreservedly, upon the very first second of laying eyes on somebody, before you know anything about them. Nothing should come between you and initially showering someone with utmost respect.

I know this is not what we have been taught. We have been conditioned to believe that respect is earned, that it is to be deserved.

Respect that is earned is established through a relationship of getting to know someone. In order to determine if someone has proven themselves to be respect worthy we must move into a place of judgment. From that lofty place I can certainly critically determine the criteria for bestowing my respect. I can say yes you have behaved in accordance with my standards and so I will respect you, or no you have failed miserably, therefore I cannot respect you. But what on earth gives me the right to make those decisions?Believing you have the right to bestow or refuse respect is a trick of the ego playing power games.

Me, deciding to deem someone or something respect worthy has no meaning whatsoever to conscious evolution. Onlybeing respectful or disrespectful affects the evolution of humanity.

Behaving Respectfully Lies in Giving Unconditional Respect
Respectis the corner stone of civilization. Without respect we will never learn to communicate openly and peacefully with one another, which is essential if we ever hope to manifest a global vision for peace and sustainability.

Respect doesn’t mean we have to like someone and it doesn’t mean we have to agree with or condone the choices they make. It doesn’t mean we have to comply to their codes and ethics either. It simply means that we need to acknowledge their presence and honour their role as a vital piece of humanity’s wholeness, growth and evolution. Every conscious being plays a valuable role in the conscious evolution of life for us all. As far as feeling admiration or esteem…well, I try to assume that I just don’t know the whole picture, and that I don’t know all that is to be known about anyone person. I do trust however that there is soul genius in everybody no matter what their choices have led them to manifest their lives. If their life journeys have led them into dark places I try to focus on their spark of light no matter how faint it may appear and turn my attention to whatever emotions I personally feel stirred in my own being by bearing witness to their actions.

Every ounce of rage, anger, fear, hatred, resentment, bitterness and envy we feel within our own body and soul must be healed in order to evolve past the need for our transgressors. As we indulge self-righteously in these emotions we inadvertently feed that darkness, adding our power to it. Remember that when we feel triggered by others,we are actually facing unresolved personal issues. Evolution will not be hastened by standing in resistance to the opposition. Only through grace and acknowledgment will we be able to move through these difficult pieces of our shared humanity. What is in you is in me is in all living things. We are more the same than we are different.

Practicing Respect Makes Perfect
We talk of treating others with unconditional love – yet respect has to be earned? Does that sound right to you? How about unconditional respect…for everything?
I spent 2/3’s of my life not realizing this but I have learned it now. When I began to practice unconditional respect I found there developing within my essential being a feeling of deep compassion and faith in myself and humanity. When we practice respect and understand that we are each capable of doing everything that another has done given the same circumstances, karma, conditioning, genetics etc. no matter how disturbing we can humbly accept that “there but for the grace of God go I.”
Respect, of course must start with you, from the inside out. When you look in the mirror you must see it there. Are you going to wait for someone else to respect you before you choose to respect yourself? To whom do you assign the power to make you feel respect worthy? I urge you to find it within yourself and share it with all you can as often as you can. Consciousness will shift as we each experience self respect, for then we will fully appreciate the value of one another. In the meantime you can help this process along by practicing unconditional respect everywhere you turn especially when you are feeling challenged the most.

Andrea Connell: