Self respect has been defined by the Oxford advanced learners dictionary as “a feeling of pride in yourself that what you do, say, etc. is right and good”. Other sources give almost similar definitions of the term albeit using different wording. Self respect can also be defined as holding yourself in esteem and also believing that you are good and worthy of being treated well, according to the American Heritage Dictionary. From these definitions, we can gather that self respect is basically respect for one’s self, regard for ones character and taking responsibility for ones actions whether good or bad.
Self respect is known to be an extremely important quality for an upright personality, confidence and dignity of an individual. People with self respect often exhibit the courage of even accepting their own mistakes, exhibit toughness and display a good character that is acceptable to many.
More often than not, a self respecting person accepts responsibilities for his / her life. Self respect is known to be a kind of discipline, a habit that has never failed anyone. People with self respect, regardless of the challenges that they face, always stand the test of time, since self respect is a recipe for integrity, leadership and self esteem.
Self respect is in effect ones worth, its one’s ability! At least in one’s own eyes. Self respecting people are mostly confident and are likely to succeed in their lives since they attract likeminded people who are likely to propel them to success. Lack of self respect is a recipe for unruly behavior that results to the hatred to those who respect themselves. This makes one to be blind of their weaknesses.
Self respecting people do not need anyone’s approval and ones repute is never at the mercy of others. a self respecting person will do what they think is right, according to their own reason and will not care what the next person is thinking of their actions since they can always defend their actions in confidence.
Needless to say, the respect that we have for ourselves guides our actions and by extension, our morals. To garner the respect of others, we need to respect ourselves first. This therefore means that self respecting people will naturally have straight morals and that’s the only way they are able to earn the respect of others.
In order to fully respect ourselves, we need to fully understand who we really are and what we stand for. Its always a better idea to do the right thing and displease others rather than being a people follower in doing the wrong thing. In a nutshell, self respect is a necessary virtue that will guarantee a lasting pleasant personality. Some of the best quotes that I have ever come across in regard to this subject are summed up below.”Perhaps the surest test of an individual's integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect”, Thomas S Monson. “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline, When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power,” Clint Eastwood. “Self respect knows no considerations” Mahatma Gandhi
There is an unwavering relationship between self respect and the respect for the environment. As earlier stated, self respect entails doing what is right regardless of the opinions of others. Man has a responsibility to respect and take care of the environment. The current trend however reveals a very different scenario all together. Mankind has mercilessly exploited the environment, cut down trees without panting others, poached and destroyed wildlife among other evils. This is a sure lack of respect for the environment which we as humans are expected to protect, however, the good news is that we have self respecting individuals who have taken it upon themselves to respect and protect the environment. These are individuals who refused to accept the situation as it is, have stood out of their comfort zones and invested their time and resources in protecting and preserving the environment. These are the few individuals who can be said to respect the environment, an aspect that stems from the respect that they have for themselves that drives them to do what is right.
References
The oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary: Online edition
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
