Respect. You Want It? Respect It.
The time you invest in understanding someone else's perspective is directly proportionate to your level of respect for them. As it is said, actions speak louder than words, so, therefore, becomes quite obvious to any willing to look that what we do for somebody is not only more impactful than what we say, but a precise barometer of how much we actually care about said someone.
Think of it this way. How much more willing are you to extend an unprompted, helping hand to your partner than to a stranger? Exactly, you have more love and respect invested in the prior than you do in the latter, so it makes perfect sense for this to be the case.
The issue here isn't the truth in this statement, it is how obvious the lack of respect has become in the world today. By working through this logic it becomes abundantly clear that there is no respect anymore. None care enough about those who share with them this world, this life that we are all in together. Before you get defensive, take a moment to acknowledge the truth behind how everyone is acting these days.
John Holt, a great American educator, author, and thinker once said; “the truest test of character is not how much we know how to do to, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.” admit it, none of us know what is going on anymore and as a result, none of us really know what to do to keep ourselves sane, and our families safe. It’s ok to admit, it does not make us any less of the people we are for admitting this.
I see nobody trying to understand those viewpoints that differ from their own. Because we do not love our neighbors, because we do not care to respect each other, we do not feel compelled in any way to empathize or even sympathize with anyone from outside of those who share our views on whatever topic.
How can you be so closed off? It is not to say your opinions or beliefs about whatever are wrong, but rather your approach to sharing your truth is corrupted. Assuming you believe you are correct in your stance on anything, then of course your goal is to convince others of the correctness of your viewpoint, thus converting them to your side. But how is it that you would expect another to invest their time in understanding your perspective if you will not offer the same attempt yourself?
Everybody is acting like a bunch of spoiled brats who care only about getting their own way and not educating nor uniting all of us. No matter what your stance is on the modern world events, the truth is that you do us all a disservice with your lack of respect. If you want your perspective to be understood then you must first show some respect and learn to understand another's perspective. Plain and simple.