Pillar #1 of the 4 Pillars To Being a Good Human Being: Wisdom From Vision Quest

In the last article, I shared my vision quest experience and promised to share Pillar #1 on how to be a good human being. You can read the last article HERE. 
 
So here it is...
 
Pillar #1 (and step number 1) to being a good human being.
 
RESPECT
 
(Aretha Franklin's song R.E.S.P.E.C.T running in my head)
 
It's easy to respect those we like and admire. It's harder to respect those we don't like or agree with. But learn to respect them anyway. 
 
Respect the things and living beings that you like and do not like.  Respect that they have the right to be there. Respect their existence.  Respect a single blade of grass growing in the crack in the cement. Respect the bugs. Respect the animals, especially the ones you eat. Respect the people who are different from you. Find a way to respect the boss/co-worker/politician you don't like. You don't have to respect their actions or character.  But respect their right to existence and their right to expression.  Many people quickly kill a spider or ant because they don't like them or are afraid of them. Respect them. They have the right to be here, just as you do. They have the right to exist, just as you do.
 
Respect yourself as well. 
 
Respect the unpleasant situation you're in. It's here for a reason. Sometimes a very good reason. Once you respect it instead of trying to run away from here, it’ll be easier to see the gift it brings to you.
 
Learn to respect plants, animals, people, challenges and situations you encounter. Respect will put you in more control of your life. 
 
​Recently I had to put RESPECT into practice. My mother was very sick from an illness that could have been controlled with proper nutrition and exercise.  When I advised her to stop eating certain foods that make her illness worse, she shut down.  It was clear she was not willing to change that behavior, which meant her condition would only get worse.  That prospect was very hard for me to take. She is my mother, how can I let her suffer more.  I felt frustrated and helpless. She clearly did not want to be in pain, but was unconsciously choosing pain. 
 
​Then, I remembered to put the 4 pillars to practice.  
 
Pillar #1: Respect. 
 
Respect my mother's decision to be on this path of suffering.  Respect the decisions she had made leading up this very painful point in her life. Offer her solutions and choices, but let her choose and respect her choice. From my narrow perspective as a human being, I would not be able to understand her path and what she needs to experience in this life. Just as others would be not be able to understand my life path and what I must experience in this life in order to grow. I may think I know what's good for her, but do I really? Just respect her decision and be there to love her.
 
By respecting her choice, it helped me to detach from wanting to change her behaviors.  This has given me more peace of mind and allowed me to show her more love.
 
The first pillar and step to being a good human being is RESPECT. 
 
I encourage you to put RESPECT into practice in your daily life and let me know how it serves you.
 
​​Pillar #2 will come in the next article.