Perhaps it might be time to petition the federal government demanding the declaration of, not a day, but a whole week of Respecting Thy Neighbour as stated in the Big Book. A whole week will hopefully have seven times the impact of merely a day.
Those who would contravene that proscription would be sentenced to BMU (Better Manners University) and wear a sack cloth while incarcerated and until they can openly demonstrate respect for others.
At one time not too long ago, the word Respect was written with an upper case “R” whereas now it has almost lost its meaning and demoted to start with a lower case “r”.
There are of course some cases where the behaviour of people and organizations earn the disrespect of others and deservedly so. But there seems to be widespread decline of respect for each other in the general population. If that be true, then joy could soon turn to melancholy.
By way of occupations, the most recent research (2022) by Maru Public Opinion Research indicates paramedics, firefighters, nurses, farmers and doctors are the five most respected groups in Canada. Notably, paramedics have risen for the first time to be the most respected among 29 occupational groups. The least respected among the 29 categories were owners of social media platforms, car salespeople, advertising practitioners, elected members of Parliament and union leaders.
There are many examples where the loss of respect is directly attributable to an individual or a few number who are associated with some tie to an association or organization.
A classic example of that is when an associate of an organization is caught having committed some sort of dastardly act. Religious organization come to mind here. When a religious personage is caught committing some unbecoming act, then the reputation of that associate’s organization appears to also bear the brunt of that loss of respect. When looked upon more closely, that is likely misplaced disrespect. It is the free will of the individual that contravened the moral or societal convention. Indeed the misbehaviour, whatever that might be, was likely condemned by the wrongdoers’ associations and associates.
Governments and politicians were at one time highly respected but there seems to be a growing amount of disrespect among the ranks of so many people. The January 6th attack in Washington and the recent so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa are undeniable demonstrations of disrespect for politicians and the seat of government.
Recently, one of our Niagara municipalities proposed to develop a Code of Conduct to guide the conduct of persons who demonstrate disrespectful behaviour when dealing with their elected representatives and governmental personnel. Just a few years ago who would have thought that such a guideline would ever be contemplated? It would seem that previous normal respectful behaviour has slid into becoming abnormal misconduct in recent times.
One might ponder what the causes of this decline in respect for others might be. Likely there has been an almost inexplicable growth in the anti-authority attitudes that might help explain the unwholesome nature of disrespect.
Befriending your neighbours may be a good place for us to begin demonstrating a more respecting attitude between you and your community at large.
