Bottom Of The Bridge ( Compilation of Proses )

xxiii.

When we were young, we were thought to respect elders
We are not allowed to answer them in a loud voice that can echo across the room
We thought to be silent and just follow their orders patiently
And at that moment, we thought that respect means respect the elders until you age like them

At school, we were thought to respect each other
Which is something that confuses me.
I thought we only need to respect the people who are older in age
But then, I thought that you can earn respect if you are ahead of everyone
And that drove me to be mad
Now that I've earned everyone's respect, it just means that I'm ahead of them

As time went by, I still believed that respect must be earned to gain more power against people
The way they respect you is the way you can be above them
My elders are above me and knows more than me
My classmates are ahead of me because they are knowledgable than me
But is that what respect is?

What is the definition of respect?
Is it something you must have? It is kindness for others or it's just a word that became overused by some just to make others feel bad about themselves?

And then, it hit me
Respect isn't some kind of virtues
Some sort of high value morality that every people must have
It's not something that you can just have just by being ahead of others.
It is a deep word that has a simple meaning
But kindness isn't one of them.

Respect is something that you earned if you do the same to others.
It is an act of kindness and only people who deserves it must get it.
It isn't about gaining it just by being ahead or above anyone
It isn't based on anyone's intellectual capacity
It is something that only you can decide whether they can earn it or not

Age isn't the base of gaining it
Knowledge won't get you anywhere
It isn't a must
It is a will if you are actually willing
It never was being high or low
And only few people deserves it
Not even the elders deserve it
Not even you
Unless you are willing to do things even without gaining them

Respect is just a word
A word that can be something magical, it will come to you in the least way you expected
No one deserves it
Unless they don't want to earn it

- untitled