One thing I forgot to stress on while talking about respect, the other day...
Very, very, very importantly, we need to remember-practice-work on-fix into our heads and hearts - that everyone, but everyone has to be treated with respect - as much a baby as a very old person, as much those in the man-made-economically-lower rung, as the person on an economically very high platform, as much the 'important' as the 'unimportant', as much those who belong to our immediate social circle, as those who work to make life smooth for us (helps? servants? class 4? and all the other names we have for them).
I've seen how we treat our children - as if they are nincompoops, the general take-off point being--"what do you know", and with adults it is -- "oh times have changed"; it's "yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir" with those who we perceive to be 'in high places' and it's the "who the hell are you - go to hell" kind of talk with those we know cannot hit back; it's an oily respect we offer to those who we know feel will affect the quality of our lives (because we have foolishly given the responsibility of the quality of our lives to others), and rough talk with those who we believe are of no importance to us.......
Everyone, but everyone, but everyone has to be treated with respect - if nothing else, because everyone has the divine spark...