Question-Week ending Sunday 08/08/04:
Choose from our list, the individual whose RESPECT of you is MOST IMPORTANT to your well being? Please read our Pre-Poll Commentary before taking this poll.
Pre-Poll Commentary:
Our 28th keyword in our poll series on moods and emotions is RESPECT. For the purpose of this poll we will describe RESPECT as "an attitude of admiration or esteem toward oneself or others."
Who describes the need for respect better than Aretha Franklin in the lyrics of her song R-E-S-P-E-C-T? Check out the lyrics to the first verse:
What you want
Baby, I got it
What you need
cause you know I got it
All I'm askin'
Is for a little respect when you get home (just a little bit)
Respect from others is desired by nearly everyone. We all want others to respect our rights; our feelings; our emotions; our work; and just about everything about us. However, respect must be earned and is not a given in this world.
Respect and admiration of others usually is earned when we view the skills, lifestyle or achievements of others as being extraordinary. We respect Tom Hanks for his acting skills. We respect the Queen of England for her status and lifestyle. We respect Lance Armstrong for his achievement of winning six international races. However, we may know little about the private lives and poor habits of any of the three examples above. If we knew some really negative private facts about them, we may not respect them as much or at all.
As an example we once respected O.J. Simpson for his great athletic abilities. But events in his private life overshadowed the respect and admiration we once held for this great athlete. The same holds true for Pete Rose and many other well know personalities. Thus, respect is not permanent. It must be maintained.
So how do you maintain the respect of others? I believe it comes down to your character and the values you believe in and practice throughout your life. If a set of consistent values and actions earned you the respect you desired....you need to continue practicing these values and actions throughout your life to maintain a similar degree of respect. The keyword here is consistency. Waver and you will pay the consequences.
Earning and maintaining the high respect of others is worth every effort and action it takes to do so. Especially from those people that are important in your life. Your spouse or lover, parents, children and others close to you. Having others respect you is crucial in maintaining a high self esteem - which is one of the greatest treasures in life to possess!
Let us know how you feel in this week's poll regarding RESPECT. This poll will end on Sunday 08/08/04, when the results will be displayed.
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Results:
- 38% of voters chose "their lover or spouse" as the individual on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
- 24% of voters chose "their mother" as the individual on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
- 20% of voters chose "their father" as the individual on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
- 11% of voters chose "their children" as the individuals on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
- 7% of voters chose "their brothers or sisters" as the individuals on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
- 0% of voters chose "their boss" as the individual on our list whose RESPECT was MOST IMPORTANT to their well being
Post-Poll Commentary:
According to this week's poll, 38% of our voters believe the respect of one's lover or spouse can make the most significant difference in one's well being. This should come as no surprise to anyone, since we probably invest the largest segment of our life in a long term loving relationship.
Voters flip-flopped all week long choosing between Mom and Dad for the number two spot on this poll. Mom finally clinched number two with a four percentage point margin. Moms always seem to be a little more understanding than Dad's when children are growing up. They seem to be more empathetic and thus, probably show more respect to their kids.
Surprisingly, "the boss" didn't even get one vote here. Probably because there were too many more important people on our list to choose from.
We all want respect from everyone. But don't be too disappointed when you don't receive due respect from most people - regardless if you deserve it or not. That's just the way it is!