I have been thinking about respect lately—given and
received. I guess I often thought of it as shouldered up against love. The
admiration and thoughtful regard that had any meaning, any authenticity, would
be so close to love as to be almost indistinguishable. But I have changed my
mind about this.
Someone can love me and yet show disrespect in how s/he
treats my ideas, my feelings, my needs. I have felt the distinction, and I’m
sure have been guilty of doing the same.
It is not easy, though. Not easy to disagree emphatically
without showing a disregard for a person’s feelings and particular point of
view. The tricky thing is that when disrespect is consistently practiced, love
diminishes. It becomes a word used in meetings and greetings, but a word that
weakens with use because the soul food that nourishes love is poisoned by the
criticisms and insensitive barbs.
Respect is the doorway to real relationship—the foundation
of genuine love.
No comments:
Post a Comment