For centuries, people have fought for respect. Women, racial minorities, sexual minorities, and many others have fought to gain political, social, and economic respect. But for whatever reason, that’s a major area in which we lack as a society. We still do not respect each other, but somehow, we all expect to be respected. How can we be respected if we do not respect others?

I was raised on the value of respect. I was brought up knowing that you respect everyone, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, or whatever. And I have always followed this. To this day, I respect everyone, even people who might not deserve it because of something they have done to me or someone else. If we respect others, we are more likely to receive it ourselves. But if we expect something in return for respecting others, we’re doing it wrong; that’s not the goal. You should give respect just to do so; there is no other reason.

You do not have to like everyone you meet, and you will not like everyone you meet. But you still need to show them respect. You might meet someone who you think is a total jerk because he only talks about himself and doesn’t seem to have any consideration for anyone else’s feelings. Or you might meet someone who you dislike because she puts other people down because she thinks it’s funny. You still need to be respectful to these people, even though they aren’t respectful to others or to you. By showing these people respect, you are being the bigger person, but you’re also being a good person. And that’s really important.

There are hundreds of ways to be respectful, and we have to be mindful of them every day. You can show respect just by smiling at someone when they make a comment or by holding a door open for someone. Acknowledging the presence of other people is showing respect, and we are definitely moving away from that as a society. I cannot tell you how many times I have been right behind someone who didn’t hold the door open for me. They knew I was behind them and let it close on me, or they were too absorbed in themselves to look behind them and see that they should hold the door. It seems like a small thing, but we should be holding the door for each other. It’s a sign of respect. You are acknowledging the presence of another person and showing them that you value them by holding the door open so it doesn’t close on them. That is respect.

You cannot just respect your friends and family; you need to respect everyone, even people who don’t necessarily deserve it in your eyes. Respect should be a lifestyle, not a selective activity. We need to stop treating each other like we don’t exist or we don’t care. Just because we don’t know someone doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do nice things for them. Kindness and respect go hand in hand, and we are definitely losing traces of them in our society.

Respect goes a long way; it’s a chain reaction. Being respectful to others earns you the respect of others. Having that respect will pay off in the long run because people will like who you are. It’s time we start valuing other people and treating them with the respect that so many others before us have fought to earn. It’s time to stop taking this fight for granted. It’s time to show respect, even in times of hardship. It is time to be respectful. Always.