The foundation of respect has always been one of the first things in any new relationship. The problem with respect is that many people believe you must earn their respect before getting any. Perhaps this is true in sports in sports, but not so much in our relationships. This can be a subject of conjecture, but in reality, you will not pass out respect to people quickly, especially if they are challenging to deal with or not your cup of tea. Should we start to get into a state of mind where we learn how to respect people regardless of if we like them or not? Today, I will discuss respect and if you should be giving out respect freely. 

1. What is Respect?
2. How has respect changed over the last 100 years?
3. Learn how to respect in our current Society.
4. Respect and Mindset.

What is respect

According to the Oxford dictionary, Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. That leads us to whether respect is earned or should be given. In my opinion, respect is one person’s opinion to the next. For example, I might respect a man who gives dating advice to other men, but the way he does it is not politically correct, but it is 100% true. On the other hand, a group of people, especially women, might not like this man speaking the truth about how women behave and act today. Though I have respect for the work he does, other people might not.

Regarding respect, it is closely tied to the plan of modernism. If our agendas can be matched, there is a greater likelihood we will have mutual respect. This can become skewed if competition is involved, but the end of the road will typically lead to respect for one’s goals, visions, and actions if they align with the person’s values and beliefs. As you can see, many factors have to be present for respect to be a part of the equations, especially in the world we are living today.

How has respect changed?

You might be familiar with the song RESPECT sung by Aretha Franklin, but were you aware that RESPECT was not composed by her? Otis Redding, a singer, wrote the music, but when Aretha sang that song in the late 1960’s it was a time for a change in our country. At this point, Slavery had already been abolished for 100 years, but there was still contention between the races. A race war was going on between the fighting of different people of color; we had a household problem beginning to form. That is that women wanted to receive an extra level of respect for all the work they had been doing.

This was the beginning of the modern-day mindset of many people in the western world. The women raised in this era would tell their granddaughters first to get an education, be independent, and not need a man. This created the strong/independence we know today for women. The story went from women wanting respect to unity to wanting singularity, which gave a false sense of freedom and entitlement. Though that was a summary of what transpired over the last 150 years, we can see that we are still fighting for respect, equality, and fairness with no end.

Respect in Our Current Society

One of the greatest downfalls of our current society is that we conform to specific cultures, norms, and societal standards, with ourselves as the prime focus of the outcome. Things don’t simply happen anymore; no things happen to us. In some way, we have been mistreated or misaligned, and not we feel disrespected and want a fix. Though this fix is purely opinion and belief, it is authentic to the mind. I have a saying that if you tell yourself something long enough, it will become your truth, even if it is false. The mind is a powerful thing.

Now that we are mixing our minds with the standards of current society, it is no wonder why respect is being lost on all fronts. Those include and are not limited to relationships, politics, careers, etc. What has begun to happen in these areas is that we are starting to see a tribe-like mindset. In this mindset, people will corral together with people with similar values but without the presence of respect. We can fight together and not feel bad when we have to backstab a brother or sister for our advancement. 

Today we are quick to toss someone out who is not aligned with our way of thinking (our opinion). This is where we lose the ability to be cordial because many people think they should only surround themselves with people they can agree with and are on the same team. What this did for us in the west is create a blindspot for truth because we are having individuals learn from each other who all stem from a limited belief system and mindset. That creates issues, but the lack of respect is even more prevalent because of the loss of our once-strong critical thinking skills.

Today respect is one of those things that would be nice but are not necessary. It would be the same as a designer vs. a no-name branded item. Yes, it would be nice to have a coach bag, but I can go to Walmart and get the same bag to hold my stuff. However, the quality is different. The job and the purpose are not. We have moved our way of thinking to see what society tells us we need rather than what is practical. Respect is no longer applicable and is being thrown out. That has caused a rift in our community and mindset as an all-be-it factor.

Respect & Mindset

When we look at how respect and mindset correlate, we will find that respect and mindset do not have to be present to be effective. I can have a growth mindset, respect no one, and still be wildly successful. The problem is the long-term of no respect. Though you might have people admire you, it will be challenging to learn to trust people if you can respect them or if you simply do not want to respect them. This is where the idea of a Total Mindset comes into play. The idea of a total mindset will not only deal with what and how we think, but we also look at the cause and effect of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

If you are familiar with Mindset 101, then you will be familiar with the concepts of being in control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Now, if you control these aspects of your life, you cannot be controlled. In the same regard, if you cannot be controlled, you can choose who you respect and who does not. This is by choice, not by the situation. For example, there has been much contention about if you should get the Covi-19 shot or not. Whether you believe it or not is of no concern because you will naturally make it a priority or supplemental. 

If you make it mandatory that you need it and people need it, that is your mindset, and it will be difficult to respect people with an opposing viewpoint to the fullest regard. Of course, there are people in between who have it and believe in it but do not require it from other people. You just have to figure out where you stand on that—Vice versa for people who do not believe in it. We live in a time where what we demand from ourselves should be the values of other folks. We have taken control to the next level and want people to be a part of who we are now and tomorrow, with no discrepancies.

This division of mindset and respect has made it difficult for people to take Massive Action due to the fear of failure and mistakes. The brain has found a system that has kept it alive to this point, and for change to occur, the brain must take on additional risks that could end up being bad for itself. Thus, the brain’s primary function is to preserve our life and will do so, even if we are presented with limits and contingencies. If we cannot learn how to respect people with different views and mindsets, people will not want to work together, which will be detrimental to human preservation.

In closing, respect has changed over the years. We have gone from wanting to be equal to wanting people to think and move like us. This has caused a rift in our society and is the reason for much of the global contention. There is hope that people can learn how to strengthen their mindsets and respect opposing viewpoints. 

Creating the foundation of respect in our current society might be difficult, but here at Reven Concepts, we aim to help the world make a mindset built on trust and respect. To do that, we need you to seek the change you want to be in the world. Your change does not need to occur in any other person besides yourself. Your life is your life, and their life is their life; respect that. By changing the world one mind, one group, or one country at a time, we plan to restore the true power of our minds. In doing so, we can learn to live together again as one community with the goal of life and self-betterment at no expense to our fellow brothers or sister.  

 

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts