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Editor's Note: Rafael Domingo Osle is a research professor at the Center for Law and Religion at Emory University and a professor of law at the University of Navarra
(CNN Spanish) - There is a word that I like more and more, because in it lies the first expression of love. I refer to respect, to that deference or consideration towards other people, animals and the universe as a whole. Respect begins in oneself, it is the humility of oneself, and it is born from the conviction that almost everything we are has been given to us without proper merit: the place of birth, the family, the talents. "I cannot conceive greater loss than the loss of self-respect," said Gandhi.
Who respects people approaches them, looks at them with veneration, not with a sense of domination and neither of submission or fear. To respect is to value; to dominate is to despise; To submit is to give up. The respectful person values the interests and opinions of others, even if they do not share them: they know how to listen, silence, tolerate. The respectful person is attentive, but does not idealize his neighbor. He wants to learn from others, not to impose himself, to control, because in no way he thinks he is superior or entitled to it. The respectful person understands that differences do not divide, but enrich, open up new and unexpected horizons. Expressions of respect vary from culture to culture, but respectful people are able to identify and accommodate all of them soon because respect, like love, has a universal common ground.
My suggestion for today is the following: respect yourself, respect other human beings, their opinions and ideas, their behaviors, their interests; respect animals and plants, and everything that is part of the universe. Seek respect from others, not attention. Respect is not bought, it is earned. Win in respect and you will win in happiness.
