Self-esteem is a feeling of confidence and pride in your own ability and worth. Self-esteem is a quality which is extremely important for dignity, confidence and personality of an individual. Respect is a broad term. Experts interpret it in different ways. Generally speaking, it is a positive feeling or action expressed towards something. Furthermore, it could also refer to something held in high esteem or regard. Showing Respect is a sign of ethical behaviour. Unfortunately, in contemporary era, there has been undermining of value of Respect. Most noteworthy, there are two essential aspects of Respect.

These aspects are self-esteem and respect for others. People with self-esteem have courage of accepting their mistakes. They exhibit certain toughness, a kind of moral courage and they display character.  Furthermore, lacking Self-esteem is a matter of disgrace. An individual who does not respect himself, should certainly not expect Respect from others. Self-esteem is foundation of a healthy relationship. In relationships, it is important to respect your partner. Similarly, it is equally important to Respect yourself. A Self-esteeming person accepts himself with his flaws. Self-esteem will keep a man away from evil, will not allow him to do anything mean or unworthy, Self-esteem will keep a man away from evil, will not allow him to do anything mean or unworthy.

Self-esteem is something not everyone has but something everyone should have. Bbenefits of having self-esteem is fact that you value yourself. You start believing in yourself. When you value yourself it leads to your self-esteem and confidence rising which leads you not to doubt yourself or abilities. Also when someone has self-esteem they are able to understand principle of respect for others. Self-esteem cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is not for sale. It can never be fabricated out of public relations. Most of time self-esteem has a positive effect on a person but in some cases it can have a negative effect on an individual. For instance when a person keeps putting himself down and always thinks he cannot do something he develops a lower sense of self-esteem. Eventually that person will think so low of himself he won’t be able to function in life properly because he will be so depressed all time.

A healthy level of self-esteem enables you to have confidence to set firm boundaries. It means knowing what you stand for and what your values are and being accepting of both your strengths and weaknesses. Self-esteem is an inner quality that each individual must take time to develop. Reason self-esteem is so important is that it is gift we give ourselves. However, it is also very difficult for me to show respect to others if I am lacking self-esteem. For example, it’s same as if I wanted to give money to someone, I would first need to have money in my pocket in order for me to give money to that person. Same goes for respect. I can only give it to someone else if I have it inside me for myself in first place. However, it is also very difficult for me to show respect to others if I am lacking self-esteem. For example, it’s same as if I wanted to give money to someone, I would first need to have money in my pocket in order for me to give money to that person. Same goes for respect. I can only give it to someone else if I have it inside me for myself in first place.

Self-esteem forms foundation of all decisions you’ll ever make, how you treat yourself and how you allow others to treat you. Self-esteem is important for making mature decisions that impact your life and lives of others connected to you. At end of day, self-esteem starts with you but is designed to have better interpersonal relationships. While it is very important to respect your partner when you are in a relationship, it is equally important to respect yourself too. Lacking Self-esteem brings negative consequences.  An individual who lacks Self-esteem is treated like a doormat by others. Furthermore, such an individual may engage in bad habits. Also, there is a serious lack of self-confidence in such a person.

Such a person is likely to suffer verbal or mental abuse. Self-esteem improves morality of individual. Such an individual has a good ethical nature. Hence, Self-esteem makes you a better person. Self-esteem eliminates need to make comparisons. This means that individuals don’t need to make comparisons with others. Apart from this, if we talk about respect for others than we should take it on priority too. Everyone must respect fellow human beings. This is an essential requirement of living in a society. We certainly owe a basic level of respect to others. One of best ways of showing respect to others is listening. Listening to another person’s point of view is an excellent way of Respect. Another important aspect of respecting others is religious/political views. Religious and cultural beliefs of others should be given a lot of consideration. Respect is a major aspect of human socialisation. It is certainly a precious value that must be preserved. Respectful behaviour is vital for human survival. There is no doubt that self-esteem is important. We need a certain amount to get what we need out of life and get respect that we need from others. But, respecting others is equally important. Ultimately, if world were a more respectful place, where we respected ourselves and those around us, it would be a happier place.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 19 2022

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