Respect All "Two Legged Beings"

Since I am behind on writing a diary entry, I decided to compose this as I sit watching the French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros tennis complex in Paris. Yesterday I watched Roger Federer barely survive a five game match against an unranked opponent and the day before was stunned as I watched the upset of Rafael Nadal who had won the last five French Open Tournaments and had never lost a match on the hallowed red clay courts. It was fascinating to watch the fierce competition but it was just as fascinating to observe the winners and losers as they were playing and during the press conferences that followed. You can learn much by observing people under stress as in an important tennis match or during a not so friendly media event. As usual, I did learn much this time as well.

What I observed from these tennis icons was something that runs counter to what one typically observes in the United States as well as the rest of the world. They spoke highly of their opponents and praised them for their play. Comments on their physical conditioning, their mental toughness, their shot selections, their serves and their overall play were common. But what impressed me the most was that they commented on how much they RESPECTED them.

Unfortunately, that is not the norm in our everyday world. Indeed, the exact opposite seems to be the rule. A few examples will support this observation. First in heading up the most disrespectful people on earth are the politicians that live in Washington and who work on Capital Hill as well as The White House. It seems that bashing your opposition because they view the world differently is the only thing that is acceptable to most all politicians. This seems to be especially true for those “in power” which, of course, changes on a regular basis. However, I believe that this disrespect has reached a pinnacle as of late. Sad but true that these politicians are supposed to be leaders and are supposed to set an example for everyone. Well, again unfortunately, their example is certainly being followed by the vast majority of US citizens.

Here are more examples. How many of us have had others curse us when we have violated some unknown faux pas such as driving too slow (or too fast) for their liking? How do we account for the stereotypical teenage disdain for their parents (as exhibited through facial expressions, gestures and words)? How many of us have sat in a movie theater with hundreds of empty seats and had someone sit directly in front of us? How many of us have had people break in line when we have been waiting patiently for thirty plus minutes? The list of disrespectful actions could go on and on.

What would Geronimo say about the state of affairs in America (and elsewhere) and among its leaders? It is covered in Teaching #84 in The Leadership Teachings of Geronimo published by SterlingHouse Publishers. Here is part of what it says.

Geronimo, like all Apaches, was taught from childhood to respect and honor all people or all “two legged beings.” He was distraught that throughout his life the “white eyes” seemed to disrespect or dishonor him and all Apaches. An aged Apache told a story that illustrates this.

Once a small band of twelve Apaches were arrested by an Army officer for having broken into a store and stolen some money. When asked if there was proof the Apaches had stolen the money, the answer was “Yes.” When asked if anyone had seen them steal the money, the answer was “No.” Other Apaches investigated the area around the store and determined that one of the horses used in the robbery had a broken shoe. They then asked the officer to come with them as they tracked the trail from the store. The tracks led toward the reservation but then veered away toward a cabin near a small town of white settlers. The officer soon discovered that the men inside the cabin had stolen the money, and he arrested them.

The old Apache commented that this sort of action was commonplace among the “white eyes” but not the Apaches. He correctly noted that it was wrong to suspect that the Apaches were responsible for the theft, and to make matters worse it made no sense since the Apaches had no place to spend the money. The officer had disrespected and dishonored the twelve Apache men.

For those who aspire to leadership roles or for those who hold leadership positions, it is vital to understand that you cannot successfully lead for long, if you do not respect those who disagree with you or who believe differently than you. By doing so, you will never attract those people to follow you. In addition, people understand that you cannot trust a person who disrespects others and many of those that initially follow such a leader will cease to do so. Politicians do not seem to understand this and that is why we turn over our
political leaders every four to eight years. This Teaching is so simple to understand, yet so hard to follow.