My Anywhere But Here Blog

I have been thinking about respect these past few days, with all that is going on around the world and in my own little world. Sometimes I think people forget what the definition of respect truly is, and that we need to return to teaching it in our classrooms, colleges, and universities. We have drifted from seeing examples of it on a day-to-day basis. It once felt natural; now it no longer seems second nature. 

We’re so focused on one another’s differences that we fail to recognize how alike we truly are. We bleed the same, share the same feelings, hurt when words are spoken against us, and laugh together at something funny. We feel pain—perhaps not to the same degree—but we feel it nonetheless. We cry tears of sadness at somber moments and tears of joy at momentous occasions. 

So, if we are so similar in these ways, why do we lose sight of respect? 

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There are many days I say, “I wish I were anywhere but here,” and I ask myself why. It’s because the world feels off its axis—out of balance—and life feels unpredictable. There no longer seems to be a constant we can rely on. 

At one time, I believed that here in America we could rely on mutual respect and helping our fellow man. Now I wonder: even if we created a new “Anywhere but Here,” would it make a difference? Or would we carry the same opinions and ways of living with us? 

Have we failed to acknowledge that history repeating itself is not always in our best interest? Too often, we ignore the past and say, that was then, this is now—even when “now” may be more derisive than peace-building. And how does that bring an end to the longing to be Anywhere but Here? 

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When I look at the definition of respect, it speaks of value and care. Words associated with it include esteem, consideration, recognition of worth, and appropriate behavior. 

Yet how do we instill these qualities in others when we may be lacking in them ourselves? 

Can we listen without dismissing, speak honestly and kindly, honor boundaries, and—once again—value differences? In other words, live by the Golden Rule: 

“Treat others as you would want to be treated.” 

That includes treating ourselves with care—protecting our well-being and setting healthy boundaries. Ultimately, it all comes back to one word: values. 

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Along my Anywhere but Here journey, I am learning that respect is not something we demand, but something we live out through our values—in quiet choices, thoughtful words, and the space we hold for one another, even here in this blog space. 

Our values gently reveal themselves. When respect is rooted in who we are, it becomes a reflection of the life we hope to live. 

Perhaps then we can continue saying, “I wish I were in “my anywhere but here,” but say as well: I will make room for other things like respect to continue to dwell in that space so we don’t loose it. As well as us say…  

God, use me where You have me right now. 

In the choices we make, the words we speak, and the space we hold for one another. When respect is rooted in love, it becomes a reflection of a life being shaped within us—one lived with respect, daily.