Why Should I Respect You? That is the question....

What is respect? A very famous line that all of us might know is "respect should should be earned and not gained". But as I remember correctly, when I was growing up in my village in Klang surrounded by so many relatives that comprised of countless grandfathers, granduncles, aunties, nieces, nephews and even grandchildren that we SHOULD respect EVERYONE who is older than us. I also remember vividly how i tried my best to show my respect to the older people that I knew. The most visible way is for us to follow what they ask us to do. Yet, even when I was young I felt that respect should be given to those who deserve to be respected.

How could I possibly respect an elderly relative of mine when she was treating some of us unfairly and cruelly? How could I respect an uncle of mine when he himself did not respect me. I was a child, yes. Nevertheless, as a child I was, I deserved respect from him too. And as I was studying in my primary school which was Sekolah Kebangsaan Batu Belah Klang, how could I respect a teacher who simply WHACKED you with a recorder for no apparent reason! Do not get me wrong, the teachers there were AWESOME but some were simply (I am sorry to say) SCARY to a young Ayu that is! How could I respect an adult who asked an 11-year old girl to NOT show her true self in front of other people. She asked my cousin and I to be polite, soft-spoken delicate girls, which we were not!


Respect is not something one gets from showing one's money. Respect is not given when someone boasts of all the magnificent and extraordinary things that he or she has done in his or her life. Respect can NEVER be given to those who DEMAND to be respected. Respect does not come together with TITLES given to you. Respect too will not be given to you if you are not being honest with yourself and the people around you. You will not be respected if you do not respect other people first.


I believe (please note that this is what I believe and as a human being I may be wrong) that I should respect people, then people MIGHT respect me. Respect them as what they are. Respect the people around you regardless of their race, religion or beliefs. People are different. One should never be JUDGED just because one is different.

Respect your friends. Respect your family members. Respect your children. Respect your boss. Respect your students. Respect your seniors. Respect your juniors. If you feel that people are not respecting you, ask this to yourself: How much have I shown my respect to this person? What have I done to DESERVE the RESPECT I should be getting?

DO NOT DEMAND RESPECT FROM OTHER PEOPLE UNLESS YOU HAVE DONE THE SAME FOR THEM!!