Today’s newspaper included an article related to respect. A summary, in the ending paragraph, identified a major problem – loss of meaning that may turn on language shifts. The writer wondered if persons can rediscover respect, in that the decay of language has reduced meaning of respect for personhood. The old meaning, attractive to relationships and society, is diluted or lost so that depth and breadth of some meanings no longer fit. The writer might have extended the observation to many language terms that formerly expressed life nobility, but not currently. Another source attached some of the problem to talking to gadgets, rather than persons in relating directly in mutual presence. Other situations are added – persons driving alone for miles on the way to or from work, not relating to each other except to shout angry words, or make obscene gestures during traffic inconveniences. May God forgive and tame us.
The general public appears to have turned away from the uncertain perceptions of the flower children of the post-World War II era with excesses in drugs, styles and sexual distortions, but reaction has not recaptured the old traditions of what is sometimes termed respect. So the youth-led society has inflicted a kind of casualness that one might term grungy. Language has become too casual, moving downward so to become objectionable to perceptive persons. Slang and swearing have become common, even used openly in the presidential election in 2016. The style has gone much has too far, violating standards and examples for children. Even sex has become more akin to the carnal Hefner, Playboy liberation – so called. Even Playboy has now backed off from frontal nudity in respect it to mature life, and family meaning. Some analysts argue that even education has been diluted, perhaps becoming a tool of industry, rather than for student life development. Training is often advocated as preferable to education for life. A president of a leading University has defended the attachments of his University to various national industries – according to a news report: Will profit and privilege replace the study of man and his context for improved life and society? Students argue that individuals should develop themselves, but they seem to be devoted to jeans (blue/stressed), odd language and gadgets (random/oral-texting), and testing the barriers, not for safety and construction, but for permissiveness which may be disrespect – not only for persons, but for the demands of nature. Time studies suggest our kids are often in trouble, especially in casual sex and substance abuse.
There is some decline, not only for the respect of others, but self-respect. Self-respect, as it is warranted, means that I present my best self as common practice, in the belief it is proper and elicits the best self in others. The better part is not only to engender tolerance, but with repetition and redundancy that builds toward better things. Even when matters are rather good, they can be better. Lateral movement remains for a period of time, sometimes short, sometimes long. Eventually the persons, the projects, move up or down. Respect for ultimate movement should make us firm to avoid or deal with downward directions.
In an article on respect and disrespect, Peter Funt wrote: Not since Roger Dangerfield – has there been so much blather about ‘respect’ and ‘disrespect.’ He proceeded to list a number of events that have appeared in the news, from government leaders to sports stars who complain about disrespect shown them, only to be faced with their own disrespect. From one point of view it is childish and from another it creates social enmity. Hearing Martin Luther King on two occasions I was impressed by his respect and civility in resistance to wrong. Early in his leadership he revealed those attributes in his: Letter from Birmingham Jail. In all, we find civility – respect. When Moses, ordered the children to honor their mothers and fathers he was speaking of respect, a sub-division of love. He did not mean the children would offer approval for all their parents did, but that these are my parents who gave me life. Life is God’s gift to us. That deserves something from me, and includes whatever life duty. God offers affirmations of respect. The Commandments are made in back-door affirmations – thou-shalt-not suggests affirmatives to truth. To love God and to honor parents are front-door affirmations. There are no approved alternatives. One of the gifts found is respect, which grows on the affirmations of love meanings. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020