R-E-S-P-E-C-T – What Does It Mean To You?
by Ngozi Osuagwu, MD | August 19th, 2018
“We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right”
Aretha Franklin
When I heard that Aretha Franklin died, my first thought was what an amazing woman. I prayed that her family would find peace. Later that day, I looked at my playlist to see if I had bought any of her songs over the years. The only song I had was ‘Respect’.
I think the last time I played that song was over a year ago at a girls get together, but when I played it this time, I really listened to the words. After all, although she had a lot of music credited to her, she had mentioned in an interview that if she were to put one of her recordings in a time capsule, it would be ‘Respect’.
This time when I listened, I thought about the line:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T – find out what it means to me.
What does respect mean to me? What does respect mean to you?
I went online to my favorite search engine – google and typed in – definition of respect.
There were several definitions but the one that resonated with me was found in the Urban dictionary –
Treating people in a positive manner that acknowledges them for who they are and/or what they are doing. Respect is earned and is never just given. You must give respect to receive respect.
What a positive reminder of how we should conduct our daily lives when dealing with a diverse group of people regardless of sex, race, socioeconomic status, disability, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. What an emotionally healthy society we would have.
She is so right, it is a human right. Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, rest in peace and thank you for sharing your talent and wisdom with all of us.
