Respect for and from elders

In orthodox Oriental school of thought, youngsters are indoctrinated to accord respect to elders, and for good reason: elders are older and are regarded to have had been through a lot more in life, hence the adage, or rather, bravado, that the salt I consumed is much more than the grains of rice you've eaten, and that the bridges I have crossed are more than the straight roads you've walked.

I think the reasons for such thought are sound and pragmatic, but today's context is indisputably much different and complex. Not necessarily more enlightened, but certainly much different. Any experiences, lessons and principles from the past must be seen with today's spectacles or risk being obsolete and eventually, elimination. This may include refining said principle by not observing it in toto, much to the indignation of conservatives and fundamentalists.

It is a trend common among most youngsters, dubbed insolence by the older generation, where respect is not naturally given anymore. Today's generation are much influenced by the notion that respect needs to be earned, not given blindly. We marvel when respect is conferred without recognition. We are puzzled when they speak of incurring wrath from above if there are no manners. We get impatient when a beloved parent quietly takes punishment from his or her parent while it is killing them inside.

I find blind respect a most distasteful thing, for starters. If respect comes from knowing a person and discovering gems of admirable personality traits, then blind respect comes from personal choice. A choice to keep respecting, no matter how uninspiring the receiver is. It is a noble thing, to be sure, most educating and edifying. Yet the same adjectives cannot be used for today's young persons, and they constitute the majority.