It isn’t an assumption to say people want respect. After all, you hear the word everywhere: in friendships, in work relationships, in the syllabus for Dr. Hewell’s Fine Art: Music course. The desire for respect is universal. And while we believe respect should be in all our daily interactions, it often seems the word is racket-balled around, representing little more than a hollow term.
What does respect mean, anyway? You might have trouble penning an eloquent definition of the word, as most people do, but a consensus of blank stares and studious attempts doesn’t constitute en masse moral failing. Because of its prolific immense use in recent history, respect has become an essentially undefinable concept. When I asked a few friends if they could define it, I got a flurry of responses ranging from “You will respect my AUTHORITAH,” to “Don’t disrespect,” to a long “Uhmm….” And this is a widely shared conundrum. Respect is the 97th most queried word on Merriam-Webster.com. Harder still, the first definition given doesn’t even address human relationships. When the “right” definition is found, we are met with dizzying entries like: “an act of giving particular attention” or “the quality or state of being esteemed.” Merrium-Webster.com, definition of “Respect.” Forgive my ignorance, but these definitions just muddy the water.
When I tried to set down the meaning of respect, all I could conjure were lukewarm synonyms and Aretha Franklin lyrics. So how is it that in a culture where respect is sprinkled everywhere, we can’t immediately summon the Oxford English Dictionary definition and detailed etymology of the word? Simple. Respect has taken on many new meanings that far outreach the historical view of more paper-backed sources.
So what do we do about this? Don’t fret, just because if you can’t define respect verbally doesn’t mean you don’t know what it entails. After all, we know it when we see it.
To discover what respect really is, we must be observant of our surroundings. Sure, people don’t walk around campus spouting off how much they “esteem one another,” so we are left to learn what respect is by watching those we look up to and wish to emulate. If you do, you’ll find that people who are truly respectful are those who are kind, honest, helpful, trusting, caring, compassionate… the list goes on. I look to Nurse Molly, who to me personifies respect because of her kindness, consideration, and patience. She is one of many such examples of respectful people at Ouachita. Here, we live in a community settled on Christian values and respect is an important concept for us because it directly encompasses so many of the principals of Christian living, such as “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “Don’t judge.” And in a world that would sooner learn to spell respect than learn to live respectfully, it is crucial we absorb its principals in an environment where it abounds.
