Respect means admiration from others. We all seek admiration from
others. We often think that doing works of low class employees will
fetch disrespect from others. Especially in India people are overly
concerned about respect than anything else. This feeling of earning
respect is mostly present in educated and semi-educated people as well
as uneducated people. Respect is a feeling. It is expressed in words
and deeds.
The cast system present in India was a good example for this type of
thoughts. Low cast people do low class work like sweeping, washing,
etc. Higher class peoples do important works like leading worship
services in the temples or fighting for the country etc. Priests
(Brahmins) stand in the upper side of the cast system and then
Kshatriyas (Fighters and rulers), Vaisyas (farmers and business men,
then Sudras (semi skilled workers) and the last comes Pariah the
untouchables and outcast in the society.
This cast system is changing now a days. People are more concerned
about their employment. Still there are people who would not do the
works like cleaning the streets or washing the dishes because they think
that this kind of works will fall them short of respect. But our
national father Mahatma Gandhi said that, we should be proud of the work
we do, whether is cleaning the streets or ruling the country.
Opposite of respect is disrespect. Which means there is no respect at
all. The state of disrespect can be expressed in another word "shame".
Feelings of respected by others is an important emotion of a human
being. Almost all animals do not have this emotion or feeling. That is
what the difference between man and animal. There are people who do not
respect others or do not have the feeling of shamefulness. Shameless
people do things that cannot be expressed or talked about in public.
