"Respect the Elders"

Respect should be earned, although many people believe they are entitled to it, especially the elder ones or those who are in "higher" positions. As wealth has something to do with the economy, most people see those who earn lower than them as people who are also under them and think that they are better than them. A person's dignity, as the subject of respect, is traditionally based on an individual's ability to think and get a measure of independence. It is a core component of how humans interact with one another and, perhaps, plays an important role in the interaction between individuals of different or the same perspective.

Most of us want respect but forget how we should respect other people as well. What I see in the importance of respect is that it should be given to people at first glance and either be retained or removed when you get to know them. There are laws implementing such specific "respect" for people or organizations.

First of all, we have this saying, "Respect the elders.". This statement is what most kids have been taught ever since they start to understand things around them. However, as time passes by, I have my personal opinion regarding this statement. I have had a lot of negative experiences with "respecting" the elders. I, personally, noticed that my mother always says that we should respect, even those people who have put a burden on our shoulders. I don't really know if she is just really kind or if she might have already given her forgiveness to them, but either way, I am not respecting the people who don't respect me, or my family. On the outside, I am faking everything but on my mind, I am already burning them in hell.

My reason why I think respecting the elders must always be followed by the question, "Do they really deserve the respect?", is because most of them are using the statement for granted. I have met a lot of people, the elder ones, who are telling or faking scenarios just to gain sympathy from other people. And I think sympathy is one of the biggest jokes because it only looks at one area and not the roots of all causes. It might have a different meaning but people don't take it seriously.

One of my experiences in respecting the elders happened way back when I was still in high school. It all happened one afternoon when an older woman criticized the way I am babysitting my younger brother. She said that ever since I took over the job, my little brother lost weight. I didn't dare to say anything back because I was shocked by what happened and I just cried after that. I still didn't know why I cried, or maybe because I didn't fight back for myself. I think she might have gained power over me because she didn't see me fighting back against her. But at that time, I already have this thinking that this woman will never gain my respect in any way possible. She is helping us to the point that some people thought that she was the one who is "feeding" us and it just makes me sick. She is just helping us because of what the people will think of her positively and not because she really wanted to help. And it's actually a disrespect to my mother because she is doing everything she can just to provide for the family because my father is not worthy of living in this world. On top of that, what really makes me angry is that she's a family member.

Also, with respect to the elders, since we have different business industries, I still have respect for professions. Like I respect Quentin Tarantino for his films, which Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2 have been my favorite films, as well as his love of movies because he introduced me to other foreign films like "The Audition" which I really love right now. However, I once read an article where he actually is on the side of another filmmaker named Roman Polanski, who is a convicted sexual predator, but for some terrible reasons, he was not in jail at the moment, as he fled to another country before he was sentenced according to an article, and continues to make films. Tarantino's statement regarding the case was disgusting. Also, Johnny Depp supports this filmmaker. I mean, I can understand if there is a single reported assault towards a suspected person but if he will have five different reports with connection to a single crime, obviously, he is guilty. I am not a judge nor know anything about other countries' laws, but I know that with regards to human rights, we must at least bring justice to the victims.

As always, respect should be earned not just given by someone else because of their "current standing" in life.