I am a strong advocate for respecting other people. My kids have always heard me say “good morning sir” or “how are you sir or madam” to people of questionable character. I have a certain amount of respect for everyone. 

Respect plays a significant role in our daily lives. My parents taught me as a child to respect them, my teachers, old folks, and school rules, the rights of other persons, the truth and the opinion of everyone. As I became an adult I continued to respect all of the above persons; however people now have to earn my total respect. 

Dr. Benjamin Mays the former President of Morehouse College frequently told his students to “Let no man dismiss you with the wave of the hand or the shrug of the shoulder.” You will notice that Morehouse Men are some of the most respected men in the world, because they earn it! You can’t make people totally respect you! You can’t hold a gun to a man’s head and make him totally respect you. Total Respect is earned! Morehouse men are encouraged to earn the total respect of their fellow man by always striving to do the right thing even when the right thing is the hard thing to do! 

There is value to total respect that money can not buy. You can have all the servants and money in the world and still not be totally respected. We all know if we are totally respected or not. When a person truly totally respects another person and has an opportunity to make a judgment call in regard to that person, his decision will be different than if he did not totally respect that person. 

When a person in a position of power over you does not totally respect your needs and feelings, they will not earn your total respect. Does your spouse have your total respect?

Do you totally respect your spouse? Do your children and friends totally respect you? Do you totally respect them?

In the words of my dad, “If these gas prices get any higher I am going to buy me a horse!”