RESPECT

Definition of Respect:
A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Synonyms of Respect:
Esteem, acclaim, admiration, approbation, approval, appreciation, favour, recognition, veneration, value, honour, etc

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs. Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail.  We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

The giving of attention to another searching soul meets our own need for attention as well. Respectful recognition of another’s presence blesses that person, ourselves, and God. And we help one another grow, in important ways, each time we pay the compliment of acknowledgment. –Karen Casey | More…

It is said when we walk on the Earth, we are walking on our ancestors and our unborn children. This is the relationship Native People have with the Earth. It is this relationship which gives insight into the Earth’s rhythm and heartbeat and creates the feeling of belonging.

If you feel you belong to something, you’ll treat it with respect. If you feel you are above something, you’ll treat it with disrespect. We belong to the Earth along with all other creatures on the Earth. We must align to this realization. –Elders | More…

We are all connected. This is what the Elders have told us for a long time. If we are connected to all things, then whenever we harm anything, it causes harm to ourselves.

If we destroy the air, then we will be affected by what we breathe in. If we poison the Earth, we poison ourselves. We must respect our Mother Earth and She will respect us in return. We must open our eyes and obey the spiritual laws that govern the Earth and ourselves.  –Elders | More…

We need to honor and respect our Mother Earth. She is the source of all life. The sun shines life to the earth, then the earth produces life in all forms and in a balanced way.
Everything is here to serve everything else.

If we interrupt the flow in any way, we leave nothing for the future generations. Before every decision is made, we should ask, and answer, a final question; “If we do this, what will be the effects on the seventh generation?

What will we cause our children to live with? We need to have respect and love for all things and for all people. We need to do this for ourselves and for all the children still unborn. –Elders | More…

You should not dwell too much on the mistakes, faults, and failures of the past. Be done with shame and remorse and contempt for yourself.

With God’s help, develop a new self-respect. Unless you respect yourself, others will not respect you. –24Hours | More…

The Twelve Step movement grew out of a society that practiced a Key Person strategy.
If you could win important persons into your group, others of high standing would follow.

The experience of Alcoholics Anonymous led a different strategy; Work with anybody who wants help, and let leaders appear as they will.

The leaders, whom we call trusted servants, were sometimes very ordinary people in the eyes of the world. It is obvious that we are poor judge of who might become a key person.

In the sight of God, we’re told, all humans are equal. Our best success comes when we treat every newcomer as a key person. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B. | More…

The attitude of our leaders will be the attitude of the people. The attitude of the parents will be the attitude of the children.

If respect is shown from above, respect will be developed below. If the Elders show respect, the younger people will be respectful.

As above, so below. This happens because of interconnectedness. The heart of the Elders is connected to the heart of the youth. –Elders | More…

Sometimes encouragement can simply be expressed in the way we act and feel toward people. If it is genuine and based on good spiritual principles, it will be understood. It is a form of practicing the principles of the Twelve Steps in all our affairs. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B. | More…

We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skins at their expense. The rule is, we must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We must be sure to
remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others. –As Bill Sees It | More… (p.240)

The trees are great teachers.
The trees are great listeners.

That is why we should meditate in their presence.
The Great spirit is in every rock, every animal, every human being and in every tree.

The Great Spirit has been in some trees for hundreds of years.
Therefore, the trees have witnessed and heard much.

The trees are the Elders of the Elders.
Their spirits are strong and very healing. –Elders Meditations | More…

We need to honor and respect our Mother Earth. She is the source of all life. The sun shines life to the earth, then the earth produces life in all forms and in a balanced way.

Everything is here to serve everything else. If we interrupt the flow in any way, we leave nothing for the future generations.

Before every decision is made, we should ask, and answer, a final question; “If we do
this, what will be the effects on the seventh generation? What will we cause our children to live with?”

We need to have respect and love for all things and for all people. We need to do this for ourselves and for all the children still unborn. –Elders | More…

The Old Ones before us knew things. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator told them things through visions, ceremonies, and prayer.

The Creator taught them about interconnectedness, balance and respect. The Old Ones experienced these things and told us we are all children of the same God.

We all live under the same natural laws. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of God. –Elders | More…

When we were drinking, we did not have much self-respect. Because we felt guilty about the quantity of alcohol we were consuming and the way we looked, we had a very poor self-image.

Since we did not respect ourselves, we did not act in a way which evoked respect from others. We put ourselves down and allowed other people to use us.

Abstinence and the AA program produce a change, which is often astonishing. Our self-respect grows in direct proportion to the control we acquire.

When we begin to live in accordance with the will of our Higher Power, we can accept
and respect ourselves. Those around us respond to us differently as our own attitude improves. Instead of living for the admiration of others, we seek each day to follow the will of our Higher Power. –Food For Thought | More…

Our entire point of view can be altered by making one change to align with the principles of the Great Spirit. Let’s say we decide to become respectful.

As we become respectful, our attitude will change. We will automatically draw into our lives knowledge about the other principles of the Great Spirit such as love, appreciation, trust, beauty, and peace of mind.

By focusing on these principles, we will let go of selfishness, self-centeredness, self-pity, dishonesty, and fear. You focus on respect, you get respect; you focus on love, you get love; you focus on the Red Road, you get peace of mind. –Elders Meditations/White Bison | More…

We are all connected. This is what the Elders have told us for a long time. If we are connected to all things, then whenever we harm anything, it causes harm to ourselves. If we destroy the air, then we will be affected by what we breathe in. If we poison the Earth, we poison ourselves. We must respect our Mother Earth and She will respect us in return. We must open our eyes and obey the spiritual laws that govern the Earth and ourselves. –Elders Meditations | More…

We need to honor and respect our Mother Earth. She is the source of all life. The sun shines life to the earth, then the earth produces life in all forms and in a balanced way. Everything is here to serve everything else. If we interrupt the flow in any way, we leave nothing for the future generations. Before every decision is made, we should ask, and answer, a final question; “If we do this, what will be the effects on the seventh generation? What will we cause our children to live with?” We need to have respect and love for all things and for all people. We need to do this for ourselves and for all the children still unborn. –Elders Meditations | More…

The trees are great teachers. The trees are great listeners. That is why we should meditate in their presence. The Great spirit is in every rock, every animal, every human being and in every tree. The Great Spirit has been in some trees for hundreds of years. Therefore, the trees have witnessed and heard much. The trees are the Elders of the Elders. Their spirits are strong and very healing. –Elders Meditations | More…

The attitude of our leaders will be the attitude of the people. The attitude of the parents will be the attitude of the children. If respect is shown from above, respect will be developed below.If the Elders show respect, the younger people will be respectful. As above, so below. This happens because of interconnectedness. The heart of the Elders is connected to the heart of the youth. –Elders Meditations | More…

The Old Ones before us knew things. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator told them things through visions, ceremonies, and prayer. The Creator taught them about interconnectedness, balance and respect. The Old Ones experienced these things and told us we are all children of the same God. We all live under the same natural laws. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of God. –Elders Meditations | More…

The Old Ones before us knew things. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator told them things through visions, ceremonies, and prayer. The Creator taught them about interconnectedness, balance and respect. The Old Ones experienced these things and told us we are all children of the same God. We all live under the same natural laws. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of God. –Elders Meditations | More…