Respect is one of those things in life that you are taught from a young age. It is one of those lessons that can make people appreciate and tolerate you or simply despise you.
The first people you are most likely to respect are your parents; they try their maximum best to instil in you good values, good manners and respect, so that you do not only give those to society at large but to them too.
Our parents do more for us than we can ever really know, or at least most do. We might not appreciate and recognise their efforts and contributions to our lives while we are still young, especially the youth, who, at times, seem to forget that their parents or guardians have stood behind them and moulded them into the people they are today.
They are a part of your DNA, and you cannot shake them off.
But respect is not just reserved for your parents.
It is to everyone you come across, especially elders.
Respect them because they are older and wiser than you are.
They have lived longer than we have, and they have experienced life long enough to know what is good or bad.
At their age, there is not a lot of experimenting going on; they are guided by experience and wisdom that has come with age.
They might not always act their age, but they still deserve their fair share of respect.
We are human and have made mistakes at some points in our young lives – some more than you care to remember and will probably make a whole lot more.
Some of these mistakes will be punished and will most probably land you in some uncomfortable positions, including with your parents, but you can rest assured that your parents will never desert you like some friends and institutions will.
One day, you will outgrow being a youth, become a parent to a youth yourself and start passing on the lessons you learned from your parents.
So, if anything, respect your parents for helping you raise your children already.
We should never turn a blind eye to our parents because they are the only people who have our best interests at heart – and showing them respect is one of the best ways to show our gratitude.
* Olavi Popyeinawa
* Twitter: @olavipopyeinawa
* Email: olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com