Respect

People always talk about earning things. Money, fame, power, respect. All of these things are earned, not given. Saying something like this seems to also say that you believe that it is only through your efforts to prove yourself worthy of some thing or accolade that anything is ever achieved.

There is so much negativity attached to being given anything.

Even so, I wonder if it wouldn't be more accurate, and quite honestly beneficial to humankind on the whole, to say that everything is given and that it's in how we exercise our choice to accept or deny what's given that shows the true nature of the exchange. You can accept something with grace and humility, or you can accept something with hubris and self-entitlement. You can deny that same thing in similar fashions.

For instance, I would say that love, whether accepted or denied with grace and humility, engenders respect and creates a bond. That same feeling denied out of pride or to serve some selfish interest creates turmoil and plants a seed of distrust.

On the other side of this is the giving. We are all constantly giving to each other, intentionally or not, and this very premise - giving of yourself - is what makes you most likely to graciously accept or deny what the world offers you.

This is what I think about while I'm driving home after having a beer and watching a few bands play ...