“How Respect Can Be Made Overrated”

Let me preface all this by saying, these forthcoming words will be nothing but unpopular opinion. That’s exactly why they’re being wrote. Our modern society has fetishized the longing of respect.

For the respect of our status, our accolades, our opinions, our struggles. We value respect as a social currency, and because of that some of us are impoverished as fuck.

Interestingly, all of that is perfectly fine; once you realize how to make respect overrated.

David Goggins, makes a profound observation in his new book “Never Finished” that people will use the weaponization of disrespect because they’ve quietly come to grip they’re not worth a damn. Respect will always hold its weight as long as the weapon of disrespect continues to coerce and bludgeon our psyche. How could this assault be suppressed? After all, we’re human and therefore susceptible to listening to others because we value connection. In an impulsive counteraction, some may assemble their own weapon of disrespect by ignoring that person who’s disrespected them. Some may even push as far to create a culture of silencing said disrespecter. Again, we’re all entitled to our choices, so that’s perfectly fine. But it certainly has not made respect (or in this case, it’s adversary of disrespect) overrated.

Where am I going with this?

This is how respect can be made overrated: SELF DEFINITION. The fear of defining ourself, by ourself, keeps us stagnant from elevating above life’s toxic waste. We have to trust our instincts, but that is not possible without refining our skills. So many of us have creative ideas that could move the needle within our sphere of influence, or even the world. We have the skills, but without the respect we settle to not trust our instinct. That’s the Matrix. Not government control, not cancel culture, not that hater talking behind your back. The Matrix is our agents of self doubt, making us prisoners in the war that determines self-definition.  Personal Consciousness can be a shitstorm.

On her new album, SZA has a song titled “Far” that laments her battle with self definition. As she continued to let other people define her, she ran further away from her true self until she could no longer “recognize herself”. This proves respect is overrated. As a global star within R&B, there’s no doubt that millions of fans respected her skills and persona. Yet, without self-definition, SZA’s trust in herself wavered and caused a prolonged delay in refining those skills to impact others (5 years worth). Fortunately for her, she made it out on the other side; but many will go their entire life valuing respect as their catalyst for action. We MUST know ourselves.

Let me say this. I never feel respected. Nobody truly listens to me, I’ve caught people in many lies, and I have no personal advocates.

Does that mean I sit on my hands and wait for divine intervention to earn respect? Hell no. I am great, I know myself, and I put in the work while nobody is watching.

And you can too. You just have to define yourself, and the costs it would require to maintain being yourself as you grow. Because of that, we have to sacrifice respect as a usable social currency. Well luckily, now you know how it’s overrated before it caused you spiritual bankruptcy.