Aretha Franklin, is considered by many, to be the Queen of Soul her signature song Respect still makes people stand and cheer when they hear it.. Without question, it is song she will be remembered for.I would like to suggest to you however, a new way to spell respect. A dear friend of mine who is older and much wiser then I will ever be shared with me some of her thoughts on respect, and now , I would like to present a new way to spell respect.. The first letter R will stand for responsibility. One of the ways we know a person is an adult is when one has , the ability to accept responsibility for one's own actions. I find this ability to be strangely lacking in our government today. President Obama loves to take credit for his successes like getting Osama bin Laden, but blames the Republicans or former President Bush for his failure to deal with nations present economic problems.Attorney General Eric Holder, takes no responsibly for the failed guns operation Fast and Furious which led the the death of boarder patrolman, Brian Terry. My dad always said it takes a real man to admit, when you are wrong. Now, let's let the second letter in respect, E stand for equality when your dealing with both people and situations. Why is it, a liberal, can say say certain things in the media but if a conservative says the same things, they often get politically destroyed for it? Muhammad Ali, used to give all his praise as a Muslim, to the prophet Elijah Muhammad, each time he would win a fight, yet Tim Tebow, is often dismissed as an over zealous idiot just because as a Christian, he chooses to praise Jesus Christ, when he makes a touch down or wins a football game. Where is the equality or religious tolerance in this type of thinking? Doesn't our nations pledge to the flag say, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all? These words would seemed to suggest that all people of faith should be treated with equal respect. I suppose to most liberals, some, are more equal, than others Let's let the third letter in respect S stand for Serving without selfishness. Our government, is supposed to be, elected by and , work to serve and carry out the will of we, the American people, all to often however, the only thing our leaders in government seem interested in doing, is working to push their own political agenda's and the only thing they may do is appear to be interested in helping a a cause or a particular group of people if in doing so, it will give a person or a political party, some type of political advantage when it comes time to have the next election. How I hope one day, to know someone in politics, who would put the needs of our nation before their own personal political ambitions. That type of person in today's politics is an endangered species! Let's let the letter P in respect stand for being polite to all, in both our public and personal lives. here is what I mean. Why can't our political leaders politely agree to disagree with some one in a debate and seek to win their political points on their merit alone? What good is it if our leaders in politics say they are men and women of faith and family values, yet when they run for office you see them slander and smear and often falsely attack another political opponent. Speaking just for myself, I don't want to vote for anyone just be cause, they were better at mud slinging then their political opponent was. I don't want to vote for a conservative just because, they say they are a conservative. I want to vote for a person who can respect the the views and opinions of everyone even if they may not agree with them. Let my also say this, common courtesy seems to be a lost art in this country and profanity is not funny I don't care what the various comedians may say dirty, is not funny it's just dirty and if a person can only understand and get a laugh using four letter words perhaps they should develop a better vocabulary. trust me we have a lot more words in our English language that have a great deal of meaning I will tell you however, they often have more than four letters but those words will be worth learning and can potentially make someone a better person. The second E in respect stands for equity and fairness for all in every financial standing. I don't think most working Americans mind helping someone, who's down on their luck and out of work with food stamps or unemployment benefits as long as those benefits don't become a permanent choice for someone who could work if they they were willing to do anything. Remember before their was government welfare their were churches that looked after the needs of others and even the Bible says, if you are healthy and able to work, then, you should work and if you don't work you don't eat. The protesters who were occupying Wall Street could learn a lesson from this type of work ethic. The C in the word respect can stand for civic duty it carries a long with it the idea of giving something back to your country and thus meet each others needs for example if you know a family where a boy has no father maybe you could be a big brother. maybe you know someone who could use a little home repair if your gifted using tools maybe you could help them out. and not every thing we may do for others, should necessarily involve whether we get paid or not sometimes, a thankful and grateful heart, should be all that's required. Finally, their is the last letter in the word respect T and this stands for truth spoken with tact will help to foster trust. here is what I mean I can assure you, someone will be more inclined to trust you if you use tact as you speak the truth. Truth, should serve to help some one not totally destroy some one. here is a quick example if you know some one who has a weight problem don't tell them how fat they are tell them you care about them enough to help them find a healthy diet so they can live a better life. Believe me, they are ready know how fat they are because others often have already told them, and they have mirrors, and they fight to squeeze into to their clothes every day. Saying someone is fat may be true but if it is also true that all people have worth then seek to find a way to speak the truth about a persons weight, with tact, and sensitivity, and kindness and then when you speak the truth to that person about others issues they will value your opinion because you have earned their trust.
Well I hope you like how my friend and I now spell respect, if you decide to spell it the same way I promise you it will change your life and the lives of countless others. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just some words, to think on.
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