The first law of any human being must be self-respect.” (Pythagoras)

“The first law of any human being must be self-respect.” (Pythagoras) Applying respect in everyday situations is a challenge for everyone, including those who do not respect themselves. Respect is essential for living in society, including when it comes to accepting differences and living in harmony. As Saint Augustine said: “In essence we are equal, in differences we respect each other”, in fact talking about respect mostly encompasses accepting differences. In essence, with feelings and emotions, we are the same, however, each person has characteristics that are unique to them. And therein lies the key to exercising respect, given the particularities of each person. “To be capable of respect is nowadays almost as rare as being worthy of respect.” (Joseph Joubert Therefore, with some perplexity, we witness almost daily, particularly on so-called social networks, the invention of facts, which some even call “alternative truths”, with the intention of false and slanderous information, it is not about freedom of opinion, nor about “harsh words”. ”, but the fabrication of lies and the crime of slander. We are led to think as Leon Trotsky said: “Human beings do not have much respect for others because they have little respect even for themselves.” The sublime ability to respect yourself, understand who you are, in terms of defects and qualities, is reiterated. Only in this way will you be able to understand the needs of others and respect them. By knowing how to put yourself in someone else's shoes, understanding how they would feel, it will be possible to apply empathy and respect in their respective relationships. In the concepts of Buddhism “A good friend, who points out our errors and imperfections and reproves evil, must be respected as if he had revealed to us the secret of a hidden treasure.” When we talk about friendship, the relationship of respect is even deeper, and that friend who makes us see what is wrong should be valued. This friend helps us to follow the correct path and should be worthy of being considered the most valuable among our treasures in life. After all, understanding others, to the extent of their inequalities, means living in an environment of support and reciprocity. “Solidarity is the feeling that best expresses respect for human dignity.” (Franz Kafka)