Respect: My Perspective

It is a year today that my Organisation announced we would start telecommuting because of the pandemic. Before I go on, please let us take a moment to pray for the families who lost their loved ones to the disease….. May their souls rest in peace, Amen.

I entered a grocery store at Covid 19’s peak, but I was unmindful of the floor’s markings. The attendant who saw me going in the direction of people coming out nearly shouted at me, but I earnestly apologized. She calmed down and smiled at me, saying, it is okay. My encounter with her reminded me of the scriptures that say, “a soft answer turns away wrath“.

I mumbled to myself as I continued shopping, “Feyikemi, you have to be attentive to details and observant of your environment at this time; everyone is on edge. Since then, I refused to be oblivious of my surroundings and the floor markings in the stores. I also ensure I am always with my mask, reminding myself that if I do not want anyone to walk me out of a shop, look at me disdainfully, or insult me, I have to pay attention to the rules and follow them accordingly.

On one occasion, I saw a gentleman enter a shop with his handkerchief covering his nose and mouth, tied around his neck. One of the shop attendants will not have it. She asked him to please step outside, then and there, I reminded myself, I will respect myself, and when I do, I believe I am asking others to do the same to me.

There is a famous saying that we do not command respect, but we earn it. You may agree with me that people treat us as they see us. When the opposite happens, i.e., you respect yourself, and the other person you encounter does not respect you, it is not on you. 

There are many lessons from Covid 19 ongoing season; however, this one got to me. I wear my mask everywhere, and it is interesting to now realize as I type that my reason is not for fear of catching covid, but to avoid any form of embarrassment.  

I came across nine effective strategies for practicing self-respect on liveyourtruestory.com, and I could relate to two of them. One states: Consider your own feelings. This is why I choose to respect myself. I do not like to be looked at condescendingly, spoken to harshly, or shouted out, and I am confident that if I respect myself when I have to, there will be no leverage from anyone. 

Our conduct is a strong message to others of how we view ourselves, the moral values we carry, and how we view others. This brings me to the second strategy; it encourages us to behave in ways that show we care. – not at this time alone, but every day of our lives, and with everyone, we share a relationship with. This means how we conduct ourselves is crucial to how people see us. We are to keep adding value to people; however, I believe respecting others adds value on both sides. 

Keep safe and please share your core lesson during this period with me.

Lots of love

Hannah