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Be Respectful of Others
You cannot succeed in life if you don't have good relationships with others around you. Respect is the basis for all human relationships. One of the reasons that the world is in turmoil today is that the sense of respect for one another, for authority, for parents, teachers and others is missing among individuals, families and nations. Everyone seems to do what he (or she) thinks will best serve his interest without giving much thought to how his conduct may affect others.
You must be respectful of others, since respect brings out the best in our relationships with others. Being casual and informal is alright, but you must never step down to the level of overfamiliarity. Familiarity breeds contempt and becoming too familiar is the death of respect.
In English there is only one word "you" to address a person. In many other languages there are two words, one for addressing with respect and the other for addressing with familiarity. In Hindi, we use the word "ăp," to express respect and "tum" to express familiarity. Thus being disrespectful to a person is impossible when you address him as "ăp." This point may not be appreciated by people who speak only English. Flexibility in language does help to reinforce the awareness of respect and thoughtfulness toward others.
Tradition says that in a person's accomplishments and growth, only parents and teachers are more delighted than the person himself. Regarding respect for guru (teacher), Kabir, a mystic poet of India, once remarked, "When God and guru are both standing at the same place, to whom should I pay my respect first? To the guru, who introduced me to God."
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