Progressive Martial Arts Blog A Modern Martial Arts Blog

You’ve Got to Give It

At PMA, the very first technique that a new student will learn is the bow. There is a tremendous amount of confusion around the bow however, because in modern society there is an enormous lack of respect for one another.

All people want to be treated with respect. That means they want to be accepted, to be considered individuals, to be treated politely, to be allowed some privacy, and to be judged on their own merits. In order to deserve to be treated with respect, one must learn how to be respectful towards others.

Respectful people treat others with consideration. They do what is proper when dealing with others. They don’t stoop to violence, meanness, or rudeness. They know that this type of behavior is inappropriate and they avoid it simply because it is wrong and disrespectful, not because they fear they will get caught or punished.

Respectful people recognize and understand other people’s beliefs, and accept individual differences without prejudice. They don’t insist that everyone like them, they simply treat others as they wish to be treated and hope that others will do the same for them. They value others. They encourage others. They help other people value themselves. That is how people become respected: through their own actions of respect towards others.

Let’s repeat that one more time: to earn respect, you must give respect. Respect is not something that you can demand. To earn respect, read the following tips carefully, and practice them daily.

Here are three ways that you can show respect to others:

1. Treat everyone with respect by being polite. Always give a friendly hello to people who you meet.
2. Respect the individuality of others and be accepting of individual differences. Defend the rights of others to have their own opinions, as you would want them to defend your right to do the same.
3. Judge people on their merits, not on their race, religion, nationality, age, sex, physical or mental condition, or socio-economic status. Being different than you is not a good reason to treat people differently.

Here are three behaviors to avoid:

1. Don’t insult, abuse, hurt, put down, mistreat, or harass others. People who are mean towards others are very disrespectful. There is never a good reason for these behaviors.
2. Don’t take advantage of others. Instead, you should strive to protect others.
3. Don’t act rude towards others when they make small mistakes. Even if someone makes small mistake which impacts you, you should still treat them with respect. Many mistakes are unintentional, and were not meant to disrespect you.

People tend to get careless with respect. We don’t always treat others as we want to be treated. Respect needs to be rescued! You can help rescue respect by regularly applying the lessons put forth here today.