R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This week conversation has swirled around the topic of respect. What exactly does it mean to be respectful of people? Why do people feel respected (or not)? My conclusions are this: At the beginning of the week, I would have said that there are two types of people in the world, those who really try to respect all others, and those who don't. I put myself in the "trying" side, I think, but I do know that there are people out in this world that I don't respect. So then is it a spectrum? An amount on a scale from 1 to 100? My math brain always tries to quantify things. Right or wrong? Yes or No? True or False? Should we have to earn respect, or is it something that we deserve as human beings? I guess the interesting knowledge for me is that me not respecting someone because they decided to look at the world differently than I do puts me further down on the spectrum, and I had always been more comfortable with the "black and white" option of you do or you don't.

08.08.08

Just two more days and it will be time for the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. I love watching them, each country marching in proudly. I remember it being a big deal with my sister and my parents, seeing all the athletes of the world walking in together. It kind of gives you hope for the world. It inspires me that for just a few minutes people from all (or at least most of) the countries in the world can exist together in one place for one purpose.

China has done some amazing things in preparation for the games. Like I read one place that they removed 500,000 cars from the streets in Beijing. WOW. I guess being a communist country has some advantages. Because I can just see that going over like a lead brick here in the US. "Hey, we are trying to drastically limit pollution, so everyone whose license plate ends in the number 1 has to stop driving for the next month." Or whatever. YEAH RIGHT. It just wouldn't happen. So however they did it, I am amazed.

But you should take some time out of the next few weeks and watch the games. Be inspired. I know I will.