Respect for God, God’s creation and God’s children is one of mankind’s most noble sentiments. Respect begets respect. We earn respect by giving respect. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.” — Laurence Stone

A story is told of an old man who went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and his four-year-old grandson in the town. The old man was so feeble and trembling that while he ate with them at the table, food and drinks used to spill over and make the table clothes dirty. So, one day the son and the daughter-in-law decided to arrange a separate table for the old father to sit and eat alone, and so won’t be a botheration to others. As he would occasionally break a plate or glasses, they decided to serve him food in a wooden bowl. The elderly man sat alone in a corner and ate while the rest of the family had fun eating together. Sometimes, he would shed tears as he sat alone. The grandson watched him silently and was upset about it.

One day the young man saw his son working on a piece of wood. “What are you doing with that piece of wood, son,” he asked the boy. The boy replied, “I am making two bowls – one for you and one for mom – to eat when you grow old.” The parents of the boy grew pale and speechless. They realised how badly they were treating their father. That evening, the man took his father’s hand and led him to the main table and served him food with the others.

The little boy in the story taught his parents that respect is something you get only when you give it to others. You reap what you sow; you sow respect, you beget respect. You respect your parents, elders and teachers, and you get the same from them and others. Or else, you will end up having a lot of people disrespecting you. The best principle of respect is found in the Bible: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12).

Respect God and God’s creation

God is the Supreme Being who rules over the universe. He is in control of everything. God created this universe and all that is in it. And when he created it he found everything he created was good. God entrusted the eco system to humans to tend it, protect it and to use it. It was never meant to be exploited, disfigured or robbed it of its order and beauty.

We are not the owners of the world, but only its stewards or caretakers. “Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society,” says Pope Francis. Caring for and respecting the environment means caring for and respecting the future generations, as well. Our world is a gift we freely received and it must be shared with the generations to come.

Respect for parents

It is said that God cannot be everywhere, so he created parents. Our parents are the reason for who we are and why we are on earth. They have given us birth, they make sacrifices for nurturing us and providing for our needs and helping us in everything; they even give us their lives for us. When they grow old, sick or when their memory fails, we should not look at them as a burden, but as a blessing. We need to spend time with them, speak to them, and be kind and considerate towards them.

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“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank

Do we give gifts just because we are obligated to do so? Or do we do so because we respect and appreciate the receiver? These are questions we should ask ourselves before gifting.

When we gift someone, we should think of what the person would like to receive and his or her tastes. Just palming off something we do not like would not be appreciated by the recipient. We should remember that thoughtful gifting gives out positive energies.

The simplest material gift is cash or cheque. This saves our time and we also do not gift something the recipient would not like to have. Gifting a cheque to newlyweds so that they can spend the money as per their requirements makes sense. But in order to personalize this gift, we could use a pretty envelope and card.

Handmade gifts are always appreciated. If you have a flair for painting, paint on a T-shirt and gift it to your friend. If you are a good cook, bake a cake for her or him.

Gifting, even though we will not get any return gift, has its own rewards. For instance, at festival time, gift a box of sweets to an orphanage nearby and see the joy on the faces of the little tots. You could, along with your friends, organize a party for these kids with fun games and goodies.

But there are also non-material gifts. There was once a barely literate widow who brought up her son by working hard in other people’s homes in order to give him a good education and put nutritious food on the table. She always insisted that they share a meal together. When the boy started working, he started forgetting to spend time with his mother. He started chilling with his friends. After all in a big city there is always something to do — playing video games, going for movies, and just whiling away time. He felt ashamed of his mother, the pokey room they lived in, her calloused hands and never brought his pals home. He bought his mother a fancy watch for Christmas. He was sure that she would be delighted. Imagine his surprise when she turned to him with tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you for your lovely gift my son. I know it came from your heart. But day after day I long for you to come home so that we can eat together. What I would have appreciated more was your time.”

“Remember how you loved me once, my son? You would come home and help me with the household work. You said that once you started earning, you didn’t want me to work in other people’s homes any more. And you kept your word. I am happy that you are enjoying your work and that you have time to spend with your friends. Yet it would be nice if we could once again chat like we did before.”

In our world today, we think that a gift can compensate for spending time with a near and dear one. Love displayed through material goods is shallow.

Another way to show that we love someone is by giving that person a patient ear. We may have an old grandmother or elderly uncle living with us. It’s no laughing matter for four generations to live together in a pokey apartment. The elderly tend to be repetitive, recounting the same story over and over again. So we try to escape. We may even do some charitable work such as helping in literacy classes. That is truly commendable but charity begins at home. We must make time to listen to long stories at least once in a while, to hear a about grandmother’s illnesses. The elderly are lonely, even when surrounded by family. They need our empathy. Trust me. You will be rewarded when you see the broad smile on grandma’s face because you spared some time for her.

Another such gift is that of knowledge. For instance, a student who is good in Maths could spend some time coaching his classmates who are weak in the subject.

I conclude with the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

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