Respect All - Love All
Live with it...and your life works. Even your enemies will be at peace with you..if they respect you. If your boss respects you, life is good. If your partner/spouse respects you, life is very good. If the community respects...you get elected.
Live without respect ...and your life falls apart. No one wants to go out of their way for someone that they do not respect. If your boss doesn't respect you...it is the beginning of the end. If your spouse does not respect you...divorce will be knocking at the door. Politicians that are not respected...are soon out of office.
The long-term outlook for any relationship that does not have respect one another as its foundation is not positive.
On the macro-scale...if countries respect your country...trade agreements are easy. If they do not respect you...it like rolling a stone up hill. Nothing is easy. It works the same on every level of life. Have respect, have life. No respect, no life.
Let me share a story from my own life that illustrates the power of respect and its benefits...and similarly the disastrous effects of an absence of respect.
First my respectful, inspiring story:
I had the opportunity to work for the Canadian Founder of McDonalds and Keg Restaurants...George Tidball. George inspired his employees, he considered them his friends. He realized that he would be spending more time at work than at home with his wife so he had better enjoy the people he worked with. George created numerous millionaires as they invested into McDonalds and The Keg. More importantly, he touched the lives of thousands of his employees and their families by creating extra revenue for university tuition, a desired boat, a trip to Europe or a second family for someone that needed one. George is a hero...his son, Stephen has made a difference in my life as well...because he also, like his father is more interested in others. I respect this man and his family. I would do anything for them.
On the other hand, my lack of respect story:
I know another man who in conversation one day made a statement to me and then followed up with this, "and if you ever tell anyone what I just said in public, I will deny it." From that day on, I never respected that man. This lack of integrity was such an affront to how I view life that it initiated the deterioration of our relationship and at its root was a lack of respect. (How to move forward in these relationships will be a discussion of future posts.)
The lesson here is to associate with people you respect...and it will result in your life being blessed and you will be inspired everyday. I am forever grateful that I got to know George Tidball. because of all the people that respect him...he is the richest man in town.