As I ponder the curves of Human Respect, I choose to look deeper. The profound significance of this simple, yet elusive, positive regard appears as a placid lake whose surface hides the magnificence within. Why is the respecting of others sovital, yet rarely promoted?

 

Until yesterday the answer eluded me. Now, I think I have at least a crumb of understanding.

 

Respect is defined as: to appreciate or esteem. It comes in many forms. I can respect my rights, your property, their ground rules, our courage as human beings, their attributes, my wholeness, etc. But when it comes to respecting other, individual human beings there are a few great secrets and obstacles to help you dive beneath the surface. Despite how you feel or what you think about another person based on your experience or snap appraisals, it all boils down to how you treat people. I may not agree with your point of view,yet I can choose to treat you with the respect accorded a fellow: human, child,father, dog owner, community improver, small biz owner, etc. All of us are similar in our basic needs and instincts. We are diverse in the combination and expression of them.

 

So why not choose to respect a fellow life traveler trying to solve the same set of problems within their own unique life puzzle? Because to esteem all people you must first forgive something quite essential.

 

What? You ask. Only Yourself. Oh my!

 

Last night while chatting with a dear friend about the state of the world, our lives and humankind at large he said something potent about his current spiritual practice, that caught my attention. He was focused on the act of forgiving our human nature .Once I thought about it I realized that forgiving our human nature is a precursor to appreciating human beings. We see in others what we project from within ourselves.

 

In the act of forgiving myself, others and human nature itself, I am available to experience wholeness,and then begin to see it reflected in the faces around me.

 

Once we learn to forgive our true nature we are available to appreciate, respect and enjoy the wholeness of people we meet.

 

They serve as our mirror of what lurks beneath the surface of who we truly are.