The Things We Could Accomplish If We Respected One Another

Respect (noun)
: a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.
: a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way
: a particular way of thinking about or looking at something

Caring about each other has become a lost art. This notion that if we love one another--truly love one another--then we respect each other.

You know what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the man who walked through the door in front of the woman whose arms were full and just let it shut behind him.

I'm talking about the woman who stole her best friend's husband when she knew they were going through a rough patch.

I'm talking about the teenagers who cut the older gentleman in line because he was holding them up. 

I'm talking about the daughter-in-law who doesn't like the way her mother-in-law treats her and refuses to step foot in her house.

The list could go on and on. I have a hundred different examples of how we disrespect each other on a daily basis. And I can't help but wonder, what could we accomplish if we respected one another?

What if we did hold the door open for one another? What if we respected each others' marriages? What if we loved on the older people we come into contact with? What if we let offenses go and approached each other with an attitude of gratitude?

We could accomplish a lot.

We could raise children who love helping one another.

We could encourage the restoration of marriages and decrease the amount of divorces.

We could fill the empty, lonely houses of the elderly with life and laughter.

We could offer love and compassion to the people in our lives who desperately need it.

We could accomplish a lot if we respected one another like we used to.

So, thank the person who held the door open for you. Be good to your friends. Love all people of every age, class, religion, ethnicity. And approach everyone you know--and meet--with respect whether it's deserved or not.

The things we could accomplish if we respected one another are endless.

--Jessica