Respect from important people in our lives as children teaches us how to be polite to other people. Respect means accepting others for who they are, regardless of how they differ from you or what they believe. Respect improves how you feel secure and at ease in your conversations. Respect need not come naturally; it may be taught. Others struggle to understand why it’s important to discuss partners before making significant decisions or why we should occasionally swallow our pride and go to the opera with them. Some people understand the value of respect right away. If we know that doing something will make our partners feel loved and valued, we can still do it even if we don’t particularly enjoy it. Even a good relationship could go south if one of the partners treats the other with disrespect, endangering their future. Respect for someone is not just loving them and allowing them the freedom to be who they are and express their thoughts, but also acknowledging their point of view, desires, ideas, and feelings. You need to be considerate of one another’s emotions. You must be considerate of one another’s sentiments and respect one another’s opinions. Cooperate and seek common ground in order to respect emotional values. Recognize and accept the fact that you and your partner are two different people with diverse personalities.
