LOVE:
strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties,attraction based on sexual desire, affection based on admiration, an assurance of affection, attachment, devotion, or admiration
RESPECT:
a relation or reference to a person, thing or situation, an act of giving particular attention, high or
special regard, the quality
or state of being esteemed.
Reading these dictionary definitions may give pause to your belief that love and respect are inextricably linked ... apparently, they are not at all linked yet in certain circumstances may go hand in in hand.
Over the past fifteen months or so and
possibly during my lifetime, it has finally occurred to me that they are rarely
linked but love in its purest and most transparent sense is as they say love is blind! LOVE,
to me, is the stronger of the 2 emotions. The problem is that sometimes you
fall in love based on the dictionary’s definitions but what is missing is the
RESPECT aspect so in essence are you making a tradeoff, an exception or an
excuse?
RESPECT however
is earned and, in my opinion, the more revered of the two emotions. What comes
into the view here is actions speak louder than words, one’s skillset, one
professionalism, history and most of all their personal everyday behavior. You
don’t have love them but you can respect them for all of the above and more and
in my opinion much more difficult to achieve than love.
I’m not quite sure what prompted this outburst
but somehow, I believe it has to do with my own mortality as well as my own life
long behavior. Karma has certainly chewed my ass and I would never say I don’t
deserve it but during this last chapter of life I have tried to make the most
of who and what I know and give back what I was so fortunate to “amass in my personal
vault.” Some mistake that these gestures come with ulterior motives that don’t exist
and then there are those who are ever grateful for something that was so easy
for me to do given the contents of my vault and ;lastly there those who just accept with no thanks or recognition at all. Make no mistake I am still no angel and not afraid
to unleash my anger and angst on
whomever I choose as a target. This last instance is really related to disrespecting
me on a personal or professional level and I will not hold back or accept it sitting
down.
I remind myself and those who know me to “always
consider the source!” and indeed, that
is an important factor in any of this.
P.S.
THERE ARE NO NAMES HERE AS THOSE WHO I BOTH LOVE AND RESPECT KNOW WHO
THEY ARE!