Respect

Respect is one of those words we use so easily…almost without thinking.

We use it casually, as if it’s just a synonym for “having good manners” or “not interrupting while someone else talks.” We treat it like a Sunday suit…something we put on to look nice for the neighbors.

But that’s just the gift wrapping.

The word itself is actually a bit of a hidden treasure. It comes from the Latin respectus, which literally means: to look again. To look back. To see once more.

Isn’t that quietly wonderful? It suggests that respect isn’t about agreeing with someone’s politics or their choice of shoes. It’s about a simple, radical willingness. A willingness to hit the “pause” button and refuse to let your very first judgment be the final word.

In our world, respect is usually a conditional bargain. We have these invisible contracts running in our heads:

“I’ll respect you if you’re polite.”

“I’ll respect you if you agree with me..”

“I’ll respect you as long as you act exactly the way I think you should.”

While A Course in Miracles doesn’t spend a lot of time on the word “respect,” its heartbeat is on every page.

It’s in the honoring of a brother, the refusal to see attack, and the soft light that recognizes itself in everyone.

It’s the realization that who someone truly is can never be squeezed into the tiny box of what they just said or did.

Imagine two countries, or even two neighbors.

Different altars, different flags, different “Truths.”

From the ego’s perspective, they are separate planets with nothing in common. This is where we build walls…both physical and mental…and call it “defense.”

But if you look again (there’s that respectus!), you see a deeper current. Beneath the different languages and traditions, everyone is reaching for the same things: safety, a sense of belonging, a moment of peace. The forms are a chaotic dance, but the music underneath is the same.

With respect, things soften. The differences are still there…we don’t all have to wear the same t-shirt…but they don’t define the soul anymore. Space opens up. Not because we solved every problem, but because we stopped trying to minimize each other.

Maybe that’s why respect feels so essential. It’s a quiet, daily decision to remember that what we see at first glance is never the whole story. And in that willingness to look again at others, we might just catch a glimpse of who we truly are…and feel a little more at home.

With love and light,

G.