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The word respect can hold many different meanings to an individual. According to the dictionary, respect is defined as: “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements”. Though the definition of a word is rarely subjective, actions reflecting that word can be.
America is a melting pot of races and religions, and so is the U.S. military. It is for this reason that one should always conduct him/herself in a respectful manner and be completely aware of what is being said – especially when dealing with controversial subjects. All members of the military should be respectful of the cultures of those they serve with, just as they should expect the same level of respect from their comrades.
One of the greatest aspects about the military is that when you join, you become a part of a family. No matter where you come from, you suddenly have a greater purpose and you become a part of something much larger than yourself. In a way, your military environment becomes a part of your identity. Fostering an environment of respect and acceptance is two-fold. Not only are you accepting the service members already serving, but you are also aiding in creating a positive environment for future service members. Though the push for respect across cultures in the military is present, it is often not executed. It is time to create a culture of respect and diversity.
There will always be times when you will disagree with others, but the true reflection of your character shows in how you carry yourself in those times. By lashing out and calling someone a racist slur out of aggravation just looks bad on you and solves no problems. When you are in the military, you are part of a family; you need to stand with your family and not apart. A hope of RallyPoint is to garner these feelings of mutual respect and continue to work towards a symbiotic relationship - despite any cultural differences - within the entire military community. Together, we are all fighting for the same thing: a better life for our future generations and for ourselves. How much does the display of respect mean to you in your life?
America is a melting pot of races and religions, and so is the U.S. military. It is for this reason that one should always conduct him/herself in a respectful manner and be completely aware of what is being said – especially when dealing with controversial subjects. All members of the military should be respectful of the cultures of those they serve with, just as they should expect the same level of respect from their comrades.
One of the greatest aspects about the military is that when you join, you become a part of a family. No matter where you come from, you suddenly have a greater purpose and you become a part of something much larger than yourself. In a way, your military environment becomes a part of your identity. Fostering an environment of respect and acceptance is two-fold. Not only are you accepting the service members already serving, but you are also aiding in creating a positive environment for future service members. Though the push for respect across cultures in the military is present, it is often not executed. It is time to create a culture of respect and diversity.
There will always be times when you will disagree with others, but the true reflection of your character shows in how you carry yourself in those times. By lashing out and calling someone a racist slur out of aggravation just looks bad on you and solves no problems. When you are in the military, you are part of a family; you need to stand with your family and not apart. A hope of RallyPoint is to garner these feelings of mutual respect and continue to work towards a symbiotic relationship - despite any cultural differences - within the entire military community. Together, we are all fighting for the same thing: a better life for our future generations and for ourselves. How much does the display of respect mean to you in your life?
Culture
Respect
Command Post
Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 40
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You made me look. I checked the dictionary and found that "respect" still has its meaning, the same one that I learned long ago.
The problem seems to be that people aren't teaching respect as it was once taught. It seems these days that respect must be earned. I was taught that it was presumed in the case of superiors and the elderly. Of course, it could be lost if they clearly demonstrated that they didn't deserve it.
Which way is better?
That's a matter of debate.
It's easy for old farts like me to simply fall back on the "tried and true" methods of my past, but where has that gotten me. I ended up "respecting" a lot of people who didn't deserve it and followed them into the Serbonian Bog and often didn't figure out that they didn't know what the hell they were doing (any more than me) until I was in deep do-do with them.
These days I limit the presumption of respect to superiors and the elderly (there aren't so many who are more elderly than me these days) to simple social gestures. I don't follow anyone until they earn my respect.
The problem seems to be that people aren't teaching respect as it was once taught. It seems these days that respect must be earned. I was taught that it was presumed in the case of superiors and the elderly. Of course, it could be lost if they clearly demonstrated that they didn't deserve it.
Which way is better?
That's a matter of debate.
It's easy for old farts like me to simply fall back on the "tried and true" methods of my past, but where has that gotten me. I ended up "respecting" a lot of people who didn't deserve it and followed them into the Serbonian Bog and often didn't figure out that they didn't know what the hell they were doing (any more than me) until I was in deep do-do with them.
These days I limit the presumption of respect to superiors and the elderly (there aren't so many who are more elderly than me these days) to simple social gestures. I don't follow anyone until they earn my respect.
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Capt (Join to see)
Perhaps we should give respect for others freely until it is obvious it is not deserved. But, we should earn respect for ourselves.
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If there was a place I expected to find mutual respect regardless of opinions it would be here amongst people who can say that we share they bond of service to our country. Each one of us is different and brings a unique quality to the mix regardless of conversation. Sometimes, we forget that we live in a land where difference of opinion and freedom of speech (respectfully) are things that allow us to think outside the box and make us stronger. Unfortunately I have seen posts of malice and ridicule just because someone might not agree with what I may perceive to be as valid. While I hold no malice for those who do not agree with me, and actually enjoy different points of view, if it does not begin here with fellow service members how can we expect it anywhere else in our society?
r/
Steve
r/
Steve
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SPC (Join to see)
Not you PO1 Steven Kuhn. I was wondering if that garbled all caps post in the center was supposed to be sarcastic or even ironic.
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I do see this a lot with the new generation of civilians aka my kids. However, I also see this lack of respect out in town, when you say Hello to someone, they won't even give you the time of day. I am about one second away from standing in front of them until they
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
Acknowledge me. It is so disrespectfull to blatantly ignore someone. Some say Respect is earned, not given. God dang it i feel like making them earn my respect. Is that so wrong? I love your saying...students rise to the level of expectation, I guess out kids do too, so do our employees. That is a great take-away. I would like to try a new approach, respect is deserved, until it is no longer deserved...
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Respect, as a whole, is still here. However, what degree of respect is lost. Along with all the frivolous lawsuits in our world has come the age of being politically correct. Hell, we as grown adults can go to war and die in the name of our country, but we can't sing certain cadences because they have curse words or mention alcohol? That is pathetic.
With all that we as a society have either demanded or accepted, we have lost a lot along with that. That is the price we paid.
With all that we as a society have either demanded or accepted, we have lost a lot along with that. That is the price we paid.
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I believe for the most part we as Veterans are respected by most but at the sametime we are also not shown the consideration nor resolve especially by POTUS and the Congress to meet their obligations to all Veterans; and, to insure that the contractual services and programs promised for our service are provided. An obligation that too often is just given lip service or just half measures or what I call "Band-Aid" resolutions which has been the case for way to long.
As a national veterans advocate our group is attempting to make this fact just an unfortunate chapter in the history books. Please take a minute to visit the new group I have formed on LinkedIn, GETI Veteran Transitional Turnkey Solutions http://lnkd.in/bSpfZVQ and utilize this another platform to voice your concerns and triumphs to remind America that we ask is not an entitlement but a contractual obligation in recognition for the service we have rendered in the name of protecting our Nation.
As a national veterans advocate our group is attempting to make this fact just an unfortunate chapter in the history books. Please take a minute to visit the new group I have formed on LinkedIn, GETI Veteran Transitional Turnkey Solutions http://lnkd.in/bSpfZVQ and utilize this another platform to voice your concerns and triumphs to remind America that we ask is not an entitlement but a contractual obligation in recognition for the service we have rendered in the name of protecting our Nation.
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LTC Hillary Luton - Gosh dang you're smart and I love what and the way you write. To the point, polite, and logical.
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Your going to win some battles and lose some, make friends, make enemies. But Duty Honor Country is the theme of the American Fighting Force!
One Team One Fight!! Retired but Still Serving! Duty Honor Country!
One Team One Fight!! Retired but Still Serving! Duty Honor Country!
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In the not to distant past, when people practiced respect it was learned, you had elders and peers that pointed at you and said " Shame on you" and they watched you till you corrected your slightly queer (not gay behavior). Large numbers of today's kids and young people have accepted being a disrespectful asshole as an asset in lieu of being considered a Dudley do right or Susie two shoes. All just wannabe tuff guys, somewhat like a biker without a bike
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No, absolutely not, if we are referring to the military. If we are referring to America at large, I would say yes. In my day, I don't think we had teach and train Army Values... nevertheless, of all the Army Values, Respect is my number one. I don't think (in the military) we have lost ground on this. I do think we focus more on it now. Respect can only fade away, if we let it. First and foremost we need to model it.
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Respect the uniform not the man.
Respect is earned not given.
If you want to be respected, then you must be respectful.
There are so many cliches about respect. Many of us were raised to respect our elders. When I was younger I thought it was just to keep us kids quiet. Respect is definitely something that is earned. What it takes to earn respect is entirely subjective. What is not subjective, is that it takes action. That action can be anything from a simple act of kindness all the way to a severe beating, and everything in between. A funny thing about respect is that it can take years to earn it, and one action to unravel it.
From a military perspective, those appointed over us are to be respected because they have earned their position. I grew up on Kwajalein Atoll, a small army base in the middle of the South Pacific. It was a mostly civilian population, and military discipline was non existent. Most of the military personnel were officers, and almost exclusively in administrative functions. The base colonel had to balance running a military base with dealing with a civilian population. When I was growing up there, we had a few colonels that were totally ineffective at this, and because of their ineffectiveness they were not respected. Looking back, I think that their job was a lot harder than commanding a regular military base because of the dynamic they were pushed into.
Respect is earned not given.
If you want to be respected, then you must be respectful.
There are so many cliches about respect. Many of us were raised to respect our elders. When I was younger I thought it was just to keep us kids quiet. Respect is definitely something that is earned. What it takes to earn respect is entirely subjective. What is not subjective, is that it takes action. That action can be anything from a simple act of kindness all the way to a severe beating, and everything in between. A funny thing about respect is that it can take years to earn it, and one action to unravel it.
From a military perspective, those appointed over us are to be respected because they have earned their position. I grew up on Kwajalein Atoll, a small army base in the middle of the South Pacific. It was a mostly civilian population, and military discipline was non existent. Most of the military personnel were officers, and almost exclusively in administrative functions. The base colonel had to balance running a military base with dealing with a civilian population. When I was growing up there, we had a few colonels that were totally ineffective at this, and because of their ineffectiveness they were not respected. Looking back, I think that their job was a lot harder than commanding a regular military base because of the dynamic they were pushed into.
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