After having written the praise of KNOWLEDGE, I now move on to the praise of RESPECT.
In Hebrew, the word for respect is CAVOD and nowadays this word is so similar to COVID that it saddens me to make such a parallel.

One of the first times this word appears is in the Ten Commandments. It is the fifth, preceded by two negative commandments and followed by five others, also negative.
It is about respecting one's father and mother, and I confess that of the ten, it is the only one I have always observed. Without fail, from the first to the last day of their lives.

The definition of the word respect is a noble one. It is the consideration that we have for someone and that we show by a deferential attitude towards them. By this I mean not only politeness but also honor. If we respect a person, we do not harm him or her, and it is thanks to respect that we behave in such a way as to maintain our self-esteem. It is well said that we must act as a man of the world who respects himself.

Now, the word respect comes from the Latin 'respicere' meaning 'to look back' and evokes the ability to consider what has been stated and accepted in the past and to draw the consequences in the present.

We all try to keep our word, and that keeps us from dishonor. Why do we sometimes disrespect others?
Because we do not consider them as our equals. This is sad and yet it is part of life. There are also laws to respect. Whether it's the rules of the road or the environment, our nature is such that we often lack respect for others or for the sacred thing.

Of course, we all have our own private life which is our priority and we hope that others will respect it.
Are we not always supposed to respect virtue, which is considered the excellence of the citizen if not his talent, it is our individual character.

And if we think of philosophy, what about the respect that the Chinese have for their ancestors? For them, it is even a kind of religion which paralyses them.
This healthy philosophy which is making so much progress, it is sublime and circumspect but only teaches to give external respects. Is it not this kind of respect which is nothing else than the admission of the superiority of someone? It remains that we keep a respect for the dead. And I insist on saying that besides the respect for the law, there is the respect for the age.

And if we go back a little, do we have respect for antiquity? Are we wiser than the ancients? It remains that it is nature and its rights above all that we must respect.

In conclusion, the expression 'with all due respect' is often used when one wants to apologize for some word that might shock.
When one ends a letter, does one not write "with deep respect"?
And what about human respect?  Is it not the fear of the judgment of men? Is it not the fact that we serve God to deserve the esteem of men? Finally, let's keep the respect of the world, and make sure we don't disrespect anyone.

In my opinion, the first time the word respect is found in an ancient writing, it is in the Bible, as the fourth of the ten commandments.
''You shall honor (show respect) your father and your mother 'Exodus 10:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16.

I find it curious that there is a connection between respect and parents. Don't we all respect others? Why this difference? We can ask the question, who loves you the most in the world? And the answer will be very simple: your father and your mother. Have we ever seen one of them not loving his child? I doubt it.

I just mixed love with respect. But we know that it is not necessary to love in order to respect, even if love comes after respect.
And what is respect?

It is the consideration that we have for someone and that we show by a deferential attitude towards him. By deference, I mean 'to honor', a respectful politeness, like showing deference to an elderly person.

I am sure that most of the world does not know the end of the passage from Exodus quoted above, because if we did, we might act differently. It is written: "Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be prolonged on the land that your God has given you.

I dare to believe that respect is earned. We cannot be respected if we do not respect others. A certain José Garcia said before me that self-respect allows us to have respect for others.

And here is that Proverbs 30:17 warns us severely: "The eye that laughs at a father and has nothing but disdain for the wrinkles of a mother, may it be plucked out by the ravens of the valley, devoured by the eagles. On the other hand, if you respect Proverbs 23:22: "Be obedient to your father who gave you birth and do not despise the old age of your mother", then you will succeed.

And now, let's see if this famous respect has come a long way since Socrates, who in one of his quotes said: "Our young people love luxury, have bad manners, make fun of authority and have no respect for age. In our time, children are tyrants.
 Are we in 400 B.C.E (Before Common Era) or in the year 2022?






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