Respect or Love: Which Do You Desire?

Respect and Love are two different concepts. The bible admonishes wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. We know that men especially African men value respect a lot. But do they prefer being respected, more than being loved? Also, women put up with disrespectful relationships all in the name of love. Is it possibly to love someone and not respect them?  

What is Respect?

Every human being irrespective of their power or status has the right to be respected.

Respect means being treated with consideration and esteem and to be willing to treat people similarly. It means to have a regard for other people's feelings.

Respect is also listening to people and hearing them, i.e. giving them one’s full attention. Even more
importantly, respect means treating a person with dignity. Respect is the opposite of humiliation and contempt. So where the latter can be a cause of conflict, the former and its opposite can help transform it. As William Ury writes in his book The Third Side: “Human beings have a host of emotional needs- for love and recognition, for bel

onging and identity, for purpose and meaning to lives. If all these needs had to be subsumed in one word, it might be respect”

Can you possibly say: "I love you," but don't respect you, Respect is the first positive step in building a relationship and it can be expressed or created in so many ways.

It is created when people treat others as they would want to be treated. Even the Bible is famously quoted as saying. “Do unto others as you would others do unto you”.

It is created when one is courteous, when you listen to what others have to say,

Respect is...

Listening without interrupting

Taking others feelings into consideration

Keeping an open mind

Agreeing to disagree

Trying to understand other’s viewpoint

Nonviolence

Building a person up instead of tearing them down

Friendship

Respect is…not pressuring the other person

The word respect means different things to different people and to different cultures. It also suggests that in a relationship of any kind, but especially an intimate or romantic relationship, it is important to discuss the definition of respect; this includes accepting their definition of respect, as well as their way of expressing their feelings about it.  There are many levels of respect but ultimately the type of respect you think you deserve will project through your conduct. 

What Happens in the Absence of Respect?

Contempt and humiliation are the absence of respect, as are a sense of being unheard or not understood. The absence of respect or a perceived lack of respect often leads to conflict at an individual, family and societal level. Since the first key step to building strong relationships is respect, the absence of respect or the breakdown of respect are also key factors in the breakdown of relationships and in the occurrence of conflict. Relationships and contacts that are built without the presence of respect are seldom long term or sustainable.

Can Love be separated from Respect?

Do you agree or disagree? Do you think every successful relationship  must have this two ingredients? Do you feel that you can skip the one and live with the other? what have you discovered ?


I’d like to hear your opinions too.

Did you like my post? If yes then help me to gain more traffic by bookmarking it or give me your valuable feedback by COMMENTING below  – Thanks!

Feel free to share this blog post with your friends using the share buttons below this post.

Cheers

Related links

Do First Impressions Really Matter?

How To Create A Great Impression-1

How To Create A Great Impression-2