Courtesy
I have heard this described in any number of ways. One of my favorites is: "treating others better than you would like to be treated".
Courtesy, in its most basic form, boils down to "respect". Respect for an individual, respect for their personhood, respect for their God-given rights. Respect.
Is it possible to have respect for an individual, yet disagree with their position on a particular issue?
Absolutely. One of my dearest friends in the world is a woman in Minnesota, whom I will call "Anne". No need to use her real name. I've known Anne for years. We've worked together on many projects, and in many instances, she has been a coach and mentor to me, along with scores of other people. We have developed a deep and abiding friendship for each other.
However, Anne and I are diametrically opposed on some very basic, very core parts of our lives.
I am a Christian. Anne is an atheist.
I am quite conservative in my views. Anne is so far left, she's almost right.
I work for a living. Anne is a lawyer.
(OK, that was a cheap shot -- but if you can't tease a lawyer, what's the point in having one for a friend?)
And the two of us get along famously. Sure, we will occasionally disagree on stuff, like....oh, politics, for example. Well, then we simply agree to disagree. She states her point, and I simply nod, smile, and point out that it's okay for her to be wrong. And we laugh, and we still enjoy our friendship.
How is that possible? Because we have a great deal of respect for each other. Anne is one of the smartest people I know. She is a very accomplished speaker, she is a superb lawyer, and she's a fabulous manager of people and tasks. I respect her a great deal. And I can see from her interaction with me, that she respects me a great deal. It is a respect that is born of mutual admiration of those human qualities that we each possess that make us respectable. But even more, it is a simple concept that we both believe: Every person, in every place, at every time, is worthy of respect.
And to us, that is the basis of treating everyone with Courtesy.
Wouldn't that make things a whole lot easier in our everyday life?
Here's something for you to try out on your own. For one day, try holding doors open for people, letting someone in front of you in line at the checkout counter, smiling and saying "thank you, sir/ma'am" to the clerk that checked you out at the store. See what kind of looks you get from folks. See how much better you feel at the end of the day.
Our "life-tanks" were built so that there are two sets of hoses on them...the intake and the outflow. Our lives are like pools of water. If there's water coming in and going out, there is life in the pool of water, as it is constantly replenished and refreshed. If there is no inflow or outflow, the pool becomes stagnant, and life eventually dies. We are just like that. It is essential that we have people pouring their lives into us. But it is equally as essential that we pour our lives out into other people.
We were created to be creatures of community, and to serve one another. If we do not treat everyone with basic Courtesy, it is very difficult for us to be a part of that community.
Let me leave you today with this one last reminder: Everyone, at every time, and in every place, is worthy of respect. Courtesy.
and that's my two cents worth today.
--Larry Voorhees
Courtesy, in its most basic form, boils down to "respect". Respect for an individual, respect for their personhood, respect for their God-given rights. Respect.
Is it possible to have respect for an individual, yet disagree with their position on a particular issue?
Absolutely. One of my dearest friends in the world is a woman in Minnesota, whom I will call "Anne". No need to use her real name. I've known Anne for years. We've worked together on many projects, and in many instances, she has been a coach and mentor to me, along with scores of other people. We have developed a deep and abiding friendship for each other.
However, Anne and I are diametrically opposed on some very basic, very core parts of our lives.
I am a Christian. Anne is an atheist.
I am quite conservative in my views. Anne is so far left, she's almost right.
I work for a living. Anne is a lawyer.
(OK, that was a cheap shot -- but if you can't tease a lawyer, what's the point in having one for a friend?)
And the two of us get along famously. Sure, we will occasionally disagree on stuff, like....oh, politics, for example. Well, then we simply agree to disagree. She states her point, and I simply nod, smile, and point out that it's okay for her to be wrong. And we laugh, and we still enjoy our friendship.
How is that possible? Because we have a great deal of respect for each other. Anne is one of the smartest people I know. She is a very accomplished speaker, she is a superb lawyer, and she's a fabulous manager of people and tasks. I respect her a great deal. And I can see from her interaction with me, that she respects me a great deal. It is a respect that is born of mutual admiration of those human qualities that we each possess that make us respectable. But even more, it is a simple concept that we both believe: Every person, in every place, at every time, is worthy of respect.
And to us, that is the basis of treating everyone with Courtesy.
Wouldn't that make things a whole lot easier in our everyday life?
Here's something for you to try out on your own. For one day, try holding doors open for people, letting someone in front of you in line at the checkout counter, smiling and saying "thank you, sir/ma'am" to the clerk that checked you out at the store. See what kind of looks you get from folks. See how much better you feel at the end of the day.
Our "life-tanks" were built so that there are two sets of hoses on them...the intake and the outflow. Our lives are like pools of water. If there's water coming in and going out, there is life in the pool of water, as it is constantly replenished and refreshed. If there is no inflow or outflow, the pool becomes stagnant, and life eventually dies. We are just like that. It is essential that we have people pouring their lives into us. But it is equally as essential that we pour our lives out into other people.
We were created to be creatures of community, and to serve one another. If we do not treat everyone with basic Courtesy, it is very difficult for us to be a part of that community.
Let me leave you today with this one last reminder: Everyone, at every time, and in every place, is worthy of respect. Courtesy.
and that's my two cents worth today.
--Larry Voorhees
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