Respect

Respect is a large part of our intelligent curriculum. We teach empathy and compassion and discipline and respect. We teach how to have respect for ourselves and our bodies, and how to treat everyone around us.

I think as youths sometimes we don't understand how fortunate we are to have the leaders we do in our lives. We don't enjoy discipline, we think we know best, and we often make poor choices because of it. We may overlook how fortunate we are to have great teachers and mentors, but hopefully somewhere along the way, we've learned that those people are rare and valuable.

As adults, I expect many people to have outgrown this behaviour. We have had many opportunities to learn that our lives are full of precious gifts. We don't all live lives of glamour and riches, but those things are not what make our lives fulfilling. It's often in the least fortunate people that you see the most amount of gratitude. They know what it means to suffer, and they are more open to showing gratitude and appreciation for everything they do receive.

I find it difficult to watch someone be, what I consider, disrespectful. I have been taught from a young age, through my family and through my training, that people deserve to be treated respectfully. In different scenarios, this means something different, but should always mean gratitude for that person in your life. I wish there was a way to make that a universal truth.