Do you respect your elders??
By LaLa Leo
@mrscallands22 (2852)
United States
August 12, 2010 10:29pm CST
I see a lot of people disrespect older people nowadays. Earlier today I saw a guy walk out of a swinging door just to leave an elderly woman on the other side walking up with lots of bags, no hands free. He didn't even have enough respect to hold the door open for the woman.. probably because he didn't know her. But who's to say we have to know these older people to respect and/or help them??
That's why now... when I'm teed off driving behind a slow old person and I really have somewhere to go... I don't get road rage anymore. I don't beep at the person or cuss at the person because I may startle them into hitting something or having a heart attack or something. Hey, it could be my grandmom... YOUR grandmom or grandfather. That's very disrespectful.
Also... I see a lot of the youth out in public that don't listen to or respect older people that they don't know?? I've seen eye rolls... younger people walk off.. or not even really listening or paying attention. Our wisdom after all does come from them in some shape, form or fashion.
Do you respect older people or do you just brush them off and keep it moving??
1 person likes this
26 responses
@alphonse_41 (65)
• Philippines
13 Aug 10
absolutely!!! i been properly guided by my parents every time i go home i always take my mom or dads hand to say my respect, and actualy its been part of filipino culture to respect our elders were been properly guided by our parents when were young until we grown up we pass it to our children and grand children. regard less if its your elder or people not related to you!!
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
@elmiko... I can't agree with you there. Lots of times there are older people just "welling" on younger people or not giving the best advice... however, they still deserve respect.. just as you would expect them to respect you.
@alphonse_41 I can say that it is great that your culture embraces the fundamental of showing respect to elders. Lots of blessings and great things come from that. I was taught in my family (African American/American Indian (Cherokee)/Chinese culture) to respect any and everyone in my family, especially the elders, whether I liked them or cared for them or not. It was grounds for serious punishment to disrespect an elder.
Thank you both for commenting!!
@diablo24life (198)
• Canada
14 Aug 10
Yes i respect my elders. I cant leave a door to swing inthere face lol i would feel bad. what i dont like however is, if i do open a door for them or do soemthing nice for them they always tend to talk to me and i feel obligated to talk back to them. its uncomfortable i just want to carry on with my own thing and not stop to talk to them. but i think its disrespectfull alot of the thug teenagers who think there cool slamming doors in old peoples faces.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yea, I can agree with that. Some old people do tend to be long-winded especially when they have something to say... but sparing a few minutes even when in a rush never killed anyone...
Thanks for sharing your views!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
14 Aug 10
I have now and have always had a lot of respect for my elders. I loved sitting down and listening to the stories that my great-grandmother and my grandmother would share with me when they were alive and I also used to work at a hospital and we had a lot of patients that were older and lonely because they really didn't have family to spend time with them. I spent many an hour just being with those people that needed some companionship
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
That was very compassionate of you to spend time with those older individuals who may have not had many visitors or were nearing the ends of their days. That probably meant a lot to them and I'm sure that they'll never forget you. Good deeds bring endless blessings..
Thanks for sharing!!
@babz02 (250)
• Philippines
13 Aug 10
Just think about this, If you get older, do you want that to happen to you? Of course not! We should always respect the elderly since they are too old to take care of themselves let alone handle rudeness from younger generations, the we could do is give them something to be happy about before they pass. =(
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I can agree with different aspects of that. Some older people can indeed take care of themselves with minimal to no help. Like my 73 year old grandmother... she hasn't even retired yet. She still works, drives, cooks, cleans and everything. She's in perfect health. But, if I offer to help her... she doesn't go all off the rocker like I've seen some older people do... she'll either accept or decline and keep it moving. Some older people can be rude in return... but they (just like us) still deserve respect.
Thanks for commenting!!
1 person likes this
@deityisdee (7)
• Philippines
13 Aug 10
They deserve to be respected. They do lesser things since they're struggling with their age but that doesn't give the younger people the right to show rudeness to the elderly.. VALUES, people.
@suryaannamdevula (44)
• India
14 Aug 10
ya you are right some people are very disgraceful towards the elder people.they feel shy for helping them in public.they feel very happy when we help them.they need our help to sustain happily in the life hence friends help the old and grand people
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
14 Aug 10
That is pretty cool. It isn't like that here, though.. and that kind of sucks.
Thanks for commenting!!
@Angelgirl16 (2171)
• United States
13 Aug 10
Hi mrscallands22,
I most definitely respect the elder generation. Most of them have earned our respect. There is no reason to be rude to anyone, no matter their age, but to be rude to an elderly person who is in need of assistance, such as holding a door open or picking up something that was dropped, is almost unforgivable.
Young people seem to have lost the value of respect. The way they treat the elderly, in my opinion, is evidence about how they treat their own parents and grandparents. will You have to wonder what kind of upbringing they have received for their parents?
Your attitude toward the elderly is refreshing. There may come a day when more young people will have a differ view of the older generation..
What goes around comes around, one day they too will be senior citizens.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
"The way they treat the elderly, in my opinion, is evidence about how they treat their own parents and grandparents."
You have definitely said a mouthful with that one. A person's upbringing can alter how they respect other people.
I am ecstatic to hear your approval of my morals. I can thank my parents and grandparents for raising me into the moralistic individual that I am. I can also thank my Ethics professors lol. I am very open-minded and have a lot of compassion for others. Everyone in my book is innocent until proven guilty.. and I kind of have a soft spot for older people. They have been through so much... and deserve a lot more respect than they receive...
Thanks for sharing your views!!
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
13 Aug 10
I had been taught as a child to respect my elders. i feel i have always done this. Even to this day, as an adult, i try to show respect to my elders. A lot can be learned from the elderly since they have gone through so much in their lives. Disrespecting them is not something i would be proud to do.@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
14 Aug 10
I totally agree with that!! I do the same.
Thanks for commenting!!
@tomitomi (5429)
• Singapore
13 Aug 10
Hi mrscallands!
Respecting the elders and respecting others is just how one's respect of oneself is manifested. They say coffee pours out of a coffee pot (not sure if this is a good analogy). Anyways, if you have something within you, not only does it show but you tend to give them away as well. People who have lots of smiles tend to smile alot just as people who respect themselves tend to give that respect as well not just to the elderly but anyone.
Knowing that we'll get old one day and whatever we do would slow down allows me to emphatize with the elders. It makes sense to give way or to move on, whatever appropriate but doing them with respect.
@edwardjoy2000 (2387)
• United Arab Emirates
13 Aug 10
Its a culture in India to respect your elders...either you know the person or not. Though the person is not related to us ...but is elderly man or a women we call them uncle and aunt...i know it sounds strange to the westeners. When i was in the UK i told this to my collegue and they had a laugh at me.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
14 Aug 10
Wow really?? I had never heard of that... but your colleague was wrong for doing that. It is very disrespectful to mock or laugh at another person's culture just because you don't understand it. Those are fighting words here lol. You handled that very well.
Thanks for commenting!!
@alokkumar803 (325)
• India
13 Aug 10
Ya i do respect my elders..they have seen the world more deeply than us..so before doing anything it always good to take their advice..at last their advice comes out to be true. .
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I definitely agree. My grandmom is 73 and she's never told me a lie. With every piece of advice she's ever given me or recommendations against a bad decision I was making... I can always say that whatever she said always came to pass, whether good or bad.
Thanks for commenting!!
@priyayogi (222)
• India
13 Aug 10
hi, Friends I always respect to every one. i always not think this person is elder to me and this person is younger to me. i respect to every one that our great manner that also. it's my opinion is i give to respect to elders.
@tymfactor03 (60)
• Australia
13 Aug 10
i respect older people and will try to help them as much as possible. i do agree that that guy is inconsiderate, and i do realize that the younger generation people seems to be very disrespectful, example some kids does not give their seat up to the elderly in bus or trains.
But there are also times when i offered my help and was rejected by them, as to some potion of the elderly they do not want to be viewed as "old". So i think it is better to ask before rushing over to help them.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I agree with your last statement. Some older people can do a lot for themselves and take offense when offered help, but that's their lack of respect showing. If they can't take an offer for help as a simple way of being polite and respectful, then they are the disrespectful ones and don't deserve to be helped.
Thanks for sharing your views!!
@advokatku (4033)
• Indonesia
13 Aug 10
I also often see events that show irreverence of young people to the old people. For me this shows that the values of honor was much moved. As a wise man, of course I try to respect to old people
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
14 Aug 10
I can agree with that!! And I can say good for you because I try to do the same.
Thanks for commenting!!
@cowboyofhell (3063)
• Philippines
13 Aug 10
I only disrespect elders when I ran out of respect for them coupled with the fact that my inability to have coherent speech prevent me from adding the polite words like sir or ma'am. Many are hurt to the same effect that they see a man sitting on a wheelchair not doing anything but in truth the man is TRULY disabled. They refuse to believe disabilities even when they do exist. The elders get angry without understanding and knowing that the person himself hate why he can't respect others because of his disability. It is the worst pet peeve that one could imagine.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
14 Aug 10
I can't say that I've ever experienced that, but I can imagine the hostility and why.
Thanks for sharing!!
@MademoiselleEma (165)
• Malaysia
13 Aug 10
we must respect to the elders..what ever happened, we must respect to each elder...don't care the people are strangers, or someone we don't know and we don't want to care..just respect to them..this is what life should be..
@stefanisaiah (167)
• Philippines
13 Aug 10
Yes I respect them a lot. If youth right now are different compare to other generations. Maybe they were raised by their parents in wrong way. Or maybe a strong surroundings influence them. Or maybe it is in the genes. I don't know what is really wrong with this youth right now. All I know if you don't respect your elders, you don't fear God. Why? Respect elders is God's commandment.
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
13 Aug 10
I can agree with some aspects of that. But we musn't be stereotypical. All youth aren't disrespectful to elders and bullheaded and all elderly people aren't annoying and trying to live their lives through other people. But the majority of both is overwhelming sometimes.
Thanks for commenting!!
@hotwheels20 (400)
• India
13 Aug 10
I do always 'cause our success in life is due to their blessings and care. I do when i can very young at age. And i do now as well. They are our god and we all do respect our god.
@wintersonata (46)
• Indonesia
13 Aug 10
yes, I do.
they are the elders. they have lived longer, they have been through lots of experiences. we would never know what they have been through, and probably we wouldn't be able to walk on their shoes (not yet, perhaps).
and if we care enough to spend some times with them, they will share a lot of knowledge and wisdom of life with us, which we won't ever learn any of it at school or college / university.
about the case of people disrespecting older people nowadays, I think many people's hearts have turned cold. sad to watch, really. :(
