I’ve been thinking a lot about respect lately. Like who deserves respect, who demands respect, what makes people respected or disrespected. Respect is earned. Respecting a position versus respecting a person. The more I’ve thought about respect, the more I realized that respect is something people throw around but never really consider what all they’re talking about.
Having been in the military, respect is a huge part of every day life. Respect for traditions, respect for regulations, respect for the people and/or positions above you, respect for your unit, and respect for your peers. I’ve written before about my college closing at the end of this month, there’s a lot of talk about respecting the members of the board of trustees because the volunteer job is “hard” and they “sacrifice” a lot as a board member who has to pay for their own travel, are expected to give large donations, and so many people say no to the position.
Whatever.
People deserve a basic level of respect as humans. Positions can be respected, but only because of what they are expected to do. But respecting people who fill these positions is a little more difficult, especially when they are unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the position or don’t care to do it properly.
But respect also doesn’t mean that no questions are to be asked. That’s been some of the frustration with the college trustees. People have questions and concerns about why the college is closing, why the board allowed a horrible person to remain as president, even while finances were falling apart quickly. And why the trustees voted to allow him to receive bonuses that he didn’t meet the conditions of to actually receive the bonuses. Other people have asked questions about general procedures and again, they are met with people tone-policing, or demanding that we “respect” these people, no questions allowed.
Blind respect is never a good thing. It’s how you end up abused, in a cult, taken advantage of, or destroyed by people you thought were looking out for your best interests. I guess in really thinking about all this, all I have figured out for sure is that some positions deserve respect, but the people filling those positions need to work to earn respect and trust, the other part of the equation.
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