Valerie Mikhail #22 Mrs.

Marquez Language Arts 18 November 2013

Respect Essay
Respect for ourselves guides our morals; Respect for others guides our manners. Laurence Sterne. Respect means showing regard and appreciation for the worth of someone or something. (http://www.k12.hi.us/~mkunimit/respect1.htm) It means valuing someones

opinion, property, and treating everyone kindly no what condition. Whether its your parents, teachers, or a custodian, everyone should be treated with respect. It shouldnt have to be earned and no one should be deemed worthy of it. Respecting someone is not something we should have to be reminded to do because it reflects good morals that we are originally taught as Catholics. It is the least anyone could ask for and makes you feel better about yourselves and one another. You may not get along with someone, but it is still polite that you offer them your respect and treat them kindly. We must never forget to respect ourselves, our peers, and our environment. Respecting ourselves means not allowing anyone to take control of how you live your life, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and making sure the content you hear, watch, or play in media is within your age group. Dont allow people to bully you or boss you around because thats not respecting yourself. Those who were both bullies and victims of bullying had, in addition to being at risk for anxiety and depression, the highest levels of suicidal thoughts. (http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/02/20/childhood-bullying-can-leavelifelong-scars) This states that students who have been bullied never forget that feeling and are almost haunted by them as they grow older. It can affect their lives as adults and puts them in danger of harming themselves. Many kids who are bullied try to hide it because they want to be

perceived as cool or because they are scared. You never want to be one of those children with a Lifelong Scar. Remember that if you are being bullied to go straight to an adult because they will know how to deal with cases such as bullying. Remember to never let people put you down and treat you as if you are worthless. Another way to respect yourself is to always practice healthy habits. In the article 4 Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle Kathleen M. Zelman states that pursuing a healthy lifestyle requires not allowing chemicals to enter your body, maintaining the average weight for your specific age, eating the essential amount of fruits and vegetables needed every week, and exercising at the minimum 5 times a week for 30 minutes. For example, dont smoke, or do drugs because that harms your body and is the exact opposite of respecting yourself. I'm not the healthiest, but I am healthy. I'm healthy to the point where there are things that I have to eat that I don't want to eat, but I eat it because I'm enjoying staying alive. Bill Cosby. This statement tells that even if you despise living or eating healthy it is important to make that effort and go all the way with it because thats what will keep you alive, walking, and talking. Always brush your teeth to keep your gums healthy, get the amount of rest necessary to start your day right, find a calm place, and always stay positive. Remember to try to make an effort to live a healthy lifestyle for you own benefit, not because you think youre not good enough. Also, dont watch inappropriate movies or listen to incongruous songs. Make sure whatever youre watching is rated fittingly for your age such as G (general audiences) and make sure the songs you listen to have proper language. Also remember these rules for when you are playing a game because it can affect how you act and live. According to Rebecca Leung in Can a Video Game lead To Murder Two weeks ago, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed in Alabama against the makers and marketers of Grand Theft Auto, claiming that months of playing the game led a teenager to go on a rampage and kill three men, two of them police officers.

Playing violent games can cause a child to become more aggressive. It could cause random outburst and can cause a child to turn to use physical attack when angered. Dont just apply respect toward others, but also toward others. Respecting our peers means never bullying them, listening and being considerate of their opinions, and not press-ganging them into a certain action. Bullying is harassing or harming someone repetitively. One severe case of bullying was in an article published by CNN titled Sheriff: Taunting post leads to arrests in Rebecca Sedwick bullying death. The article states that Police on Monday arrested two girls, ages 14 and 12, in connection with the death of Rebecca Sedwick, who jumped from the top of an abandoned concrete plant last month. (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/15/justice/rebecca-sedwick-bullying-death-arrests/) When you

bully someone that is not respecting them, it is dreadful because it can lead to heavy consequences. Obviously we would want to harm our friends, but we can be liable for the misconduct without realizing it. Some habits of bullying are insulting, mocking, or using physical force on someone. Remember to be aware of everyones emotions and how your words and actions can make them feel. You may think youre just having fun with your friends when you tease them, but on the inside they can be aching. Also, remember to listen to others when they speak and value their beliefs. This includes regarding their likes and dislikes. For example, we live in a diverse nation made up of many different cultures, languages, races, and backgrounds. This includes a variety of religions. Most times people will discriminate against others because of their skin color or their ethnicity. That is not displaying respect. Instead of keeping distance away from them, try getting to know them because you may end up becoming friends. Some ways to show others respect are trying to learn something about their culture or if someone is deaf try to learn sign language. Also, never stereotype people and never go along

with prejudice people. These are just simple tasks to make someones day. Respect other peoples choices and there likes and dislikes. Lastly, always remember to never coerce your friend into doing something they dont want to do. The article Peer Pressure: Its influence on Teens and Decision Making stated In a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), teen volunteers played a video driving game, either alone or with friends watching. What the researchers discovered was that the number of risks teens took in the driving game more than doubled when their friends were watching as compared to when the teens played the game alone. This shows how easily we can influence the decisions our peers make. Always let them know that whatever they want is up to them, even when they ask you the simplest question such as What should I buy? Also, never offer someone drugs or pressure them into smoking because it is cool. Always encourage your friends to do what is right, follow their dreams, and remember to support them through rough times. Our peers are almost like a part of our environment, but there is way more to it when we respect our environment. There are many ways that we can respect our environment that can help preserve life such as conserving water and energy, reusing, and recycling. Some ways to conserve water is to check for leaks, turn off the water when you are not using it, and taking shorter showers. For example, if you are brushing your teeth, turn off the water between rinses. Each day, a family of four can use up to 400 gallons of water. (http://flatheadcd.org/water-resources/conservingwater/) Some ways to conserve water is to check for leaks, turn off the water when you are not using it, and taking shorter showers. For example, if you are brushing your teeth, turn off the water between rinses. These little tasks each day can save just as much of water. The same goes for saving energy. Unplug or turn off you devices when they are not in use. Also, you can switch to LED light bulbs and or get skylights. To reuse means to use again such as taking an old water

bottle and filling it up again instead of opening a new one. It might sound insignificant, but the amount of resources we exhaust each year has been growing. Reuse is a means to prevent solid waste from entering the landfill, improve our communities, and increase the material, educational and occupational wellbeing of our citizens by taking useful products discarded by those who no longer want them and providing them to those who do.

(http://loadingdock.org/redo/Benefits_of_Reuse/body_benefits_of_reuse.html) This states that with reusing, we can reduce the amount of waste we produce each day and reduce the amount of resources we consume. Another aspect of respecting your environment is recycling. Some ways to recycle is to always separate your trash from glass to plastic. That way instead of being disintegrated and put out to rot, it can be melted down to be molded all over again. Last year, Americans recycled 61 billion aluminum cans, saving the energy equivalent of 17 million barrels of crude oil. Thats a whole lot of recovered resources!

(http://earth911.com/news/2012/10/17/how-much-energy-water-saved-by-recycling/) This shows that the meekest task can make a major difference. Also we can help save our planet by picking up trash that isnt ours. When people see us using our time to make a difference in the world, they discern the impression that we are humble and caring which says a lot about our character and how we live. Also, it is polite that when you are in a classroom and see trash that you pick it up because it may not belong to you, but it is respectful. Respect for ourselves, peers, and environment develops good character and manners as individuals. Have your own opinions, dont harm yourself, dont insult yourself, and stand up for what you believe in. You are in charge of how people see you so act confident and be with those who accept you for who you are. We always have to recognize and be aware of those who treat us badly so we are able to have a say and put a stop to it. Always be thankful for the life you are

living and never neglect those who offer you help. From climate change to desertification, from unsustainable depletion of natural resources to chemical pollution; the changes are gradual, and happening at a pace that is not noticeable for many.

(http://www.itu.int/en/bynd2015/Pages/respect-your-environment.aspx) The choice is ours to decide whether or not we want to save this planet. Whatever we want people to perceive us as depends on what we say and do. Also, it is very important that we understand what respect is and how to portray it so that we may live in a world that prospers with love.