Take a breath everyone. Breathe in, breathe out. Spend some time meditating on this one word:
Respect
If you like, here's some music to help you.
We can respect one another despite our differences, or we can allow those differences to divide us. It's a choice for each of us, you and I both.
I believe we are better off if each of us resolves in every interaction we have on this site with our fellow human beings - women and men, LGBT and straight, college educated or high school dropouts, atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Christians, Wiccans, Hindus, Buddhists or none of the above - to chose to respect the dignity and humanity of those people.
Respect is essential, especially in the case of those who disagree with us, who do not believe everything that we believe, and, in the worst case, even those who seek to belittle us, demean us, demonize us or fail to reciprocate when we offer our respect to them.
Respect begins with acknowledging the humanity of the other person, their essential dignity and their worth as a fellow member of the human species. It continues with listening to what others have to say, even if you disagree with what they are saying or how they say it. It should never end.
For if you want others to respect you, you must be willing to respect them.
This does not mean you have to accept abuse. You are entitled to demand respect from those who do not recognize your humanity, who treat you poorly. You are justified in telling them their words have hurt you, that their behavior has been disrespectful and even cruel. However, remember this: bad behavior by others does not justify your own bad behavior.
And if you do act badly, respect demands that you apologize to the person you hurt. It requires humility on your part. For how can you respect yourself if you do not respect others?
Words have power, to uplift us or to hurt us. To bring us together or tear us apart.
That is why right now I have chosen to focus on this one word today.
For without respect for one another what are we? When we disrespect others what does that say about us?
That's all I have to say. I hope you heard me.