Sometimes people use "respect" to mean treating someone like a person, with civility and kindness. Sometimes they use "respect" to mean treating someone like an authority. Sometimes people who are used to being treated as an authority say "if you won't respect me then I won't respect you", and they mean "if you won't treat me as an authority I won't treat you with civility and kindness as a person", and they think they are being fair. But they aren't. They are being ass*oles. I've heard it said that respect has to be earned, and I'd agree with that when it refers to respecting authority, but civility and kindness should, in my opinion, be given to all from day one and always as a sign of good manners, and basic humanity. How do you think of the word "respect"?
I remember my dad saying respect should be given and trust had to be earned. I thought that was backwards. I give trust until it's proven that I can't trust you, and I'll be civil, but you don't get my real respect until you show you are worthy of it.
People who live in apartments should definitely show respect to other residents living around them. Some do and some definitely don't. It seems like Seniors want/deserve more respect than the younger generation wants to give. We have found out, from the past, that launching and retrieving a boat at the ramp, needs more respect than some boaters want to give. Senior boaters are slower than the younger ones, but the younger ones want the "old farts" to get their boat into the water, or out, as quickly as possible. That just can't necessarily happen.
Some attitude towards a person seems like respect but is fear. True respect is gained from love or knowledge. In my opinion some people cannot show respect because they see it as a weakness.
I certainly do not trust very easily. I was raised by an attorney and my dad was very wise. Trust is earned through integrity and honesty. Authoritative figures come in every discipline of our society. By all means, you had better respect a superior officer in the military or else. There is nothing personal about it, just a matter of a pecking order. I respected my teachers whether I liked them or not. Character will define whether or not I will trust an individual. There is no tried and true formula for respect nor trust for that matter. Each of us according to our upbringing and what we are taught about moral fiber and values will dictate these to us as individuals.
@Lois Winters Though apparently widely believed, trust cannot be bought, but must rather be earned. One of my ongoing imponderables involves "trust" between the protected and those protecting the most significantly important individuals in society. For example, given the legion of Secret Service personnel protecting the United States President, how can each and every ones' trustworthiness be pre-evaluated, judged in advance to prevent the horror which could occur? Frank
@Lois Winters Though apparently widely believed, trust cannot be bought, but must rather be earned. One of my ongoing imponderables involves "trust" between the protected and those protecting the most significantly important individuals in society. For example, given the legion of Secret Service personnel protecting the United States President, how can each and every ones' trustworthiness be pre-evaluated, judged in advance to prevent the horror which could occur? Frank
Save my wife and stepdaughter, I fully trust no one on the face of this earth. Trust-worthy denotes being worthy of trust. How does one become worthy of my trust? Actions speak louder than words. The only people other than those I mentioned who have earned my trust by being true to their words are dead. In regard to respect, the military taught me a couple of serious lessons. One doesn’t have to respect an individual to show respect. An officer demands respect due him because of his position, hence the word, “sir”. I do not have to like a person in order to respect what they do or how they do it.