Respect is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the

ways in which he or she is unique.

There are numerous things in life that we yearn for…Love, family,

respect…Love can neither be taught nor bought. Family is something
precious that we inherit. However, respect is something that can be
earned through perseverance and that should be preached to everyone
from a tender age. As the saying goes…Give respect and take
respect…!!

Back when the tigers used to smoke when I was in Grade 6, we had an
elderly lady who toiled as the janitor. I set foot in the school premises
quite early that monotonous day; in fact, I was the first to reach my class.
Unfortunately, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed at the crack of
dawn and was in an extremely dreadful mood. As soon as I stepped into
my classroom, an enormous cloud of soot and muck landed on my
gleaming immaculate black shoes!! Shock gave way to indignation and I
glared at the miniscule old woman who was holding a gargantuan
broomstick. She glanced at my shoes in dismay and released a flurry of
apologies. I was in no mood for apologies and ranted about her
carelessness and that she ruined my shoes. After hearing my complaints
which were over-rated, she scurried out bumping into my English
teacher on the way. Spotting my English teacher, I wished her a good
morning. She beckoned me inside the staffroom which looked like a
ghost town as no one was present there. She gazed at me with piercing
eyes. “I heard the whole outburst. What you did was extremely wrong.

I hope you feel some remorse…Respect requires empathy, the capacity

to anticipate and understand the feelings of others. It requires
.
consideration To be respected by everybody is a great gift. Today you
behaved incorrectly to the janitor and immediately afterwards when you
saw me, you wished me…This is a superiority complex that has been
imprinted in your mind…She contributes to your benefit as much as I
do…Why did you behave so imprudently to someone who’s almost as
old as your grandmother?

Remember child… always… always respect your elders irrespective of

what they do for you…This is something which you must comprehend at
this young age…

Now what do you propose to do?” “Ma’am, I would like to apologise to

her.”, I replied in a feeble voice as realisation dawned upon me. “Good
boy, now hurry up before the others arrive… I think we’ll keep this as our
small secret”, she said with an affable smile. That ended there…Neither
of us mentioned it afterwards. Even though, this unique teacher no
longer teaches me, her words are there forever in my heart. She taught
me one of the most valuable lessons anyone on this planet can obtain…
Respect for our fellow beings…!!