Self-Respect as the Energy Source of a Successful Life - Essay Example

?Self-Respect There are virtues and values that lift people. Humans are thinking animals, they reason and observe. The present and probably even the future are based on past experiences. It is only common observation that successful people do not hold any regrets in their lives. They are always living in the moment, then and there and not dwelling on the past. No matter what they have gone through or what kind of mistakes they had committed in their pasts becomes a part of their history, the only thing they pick out is a lesson, not to repeat that mistake. However many people hold on to their mistakes and regrets and all of this acidic matter that brews in their heads becomes an anchor which keeps them from moving forward and thinking freely. Every success in life boosts self-respect and every failure destroys it, but it is those people who get rid of the failure move ahead and seize victory. While those who keep thinking about their failures, both real and imaginary, keep living in regrets and fears. They even have a hard time in saying no to people. That is why they become somewhat nonsocial and reserved. They would not even pick up phone sometime or answer a letter because they cannot refuse someone asking them to do something. People become infected with the disease known as ‘alienation from self’ (Didion, 2008). Self-respect is the fuel or the energy source of a successful life. Breathing and eating are not the only factors indicative of ‘living’. Self-respect is the essence that tells people to safe guard themselves from danger. It is a mechanism that tells people to take good care of themselves and protect their interests, otherwise they will be left with nothing. Self-respect is something that makes people’s lives comfortable. Because of it, people not only keep looking for long term intangible benefits all their lives, instead they weigh immediate comforts and take the opportunity to live a life at ease. As people grow older, they become more aware of self-respect, which is why the elders of a family have the greatest self-respect. They live by rules instilled in them that make them put fears and doubts on one side and think critically about any real life scenario (Didion, 2008). Another way to look at self-respect is to rise against all odds and reclaim one’s place. No matter what someone’s been through, no matter where or when a person is born, which ethnicity he or she belongs to, it is self-respect that gives a person the spirit and passion to rise above all calamities. No matter what color is his skin, it shouldn’t and mustn’t make him feel less than any of the ‘other’ colored peoples. There should never be a dark deep hidden sorrow in the heart or in the eyes. People must never ever hold nature responsible for how they look. Color doesn’t and shouldn’t be a hurdle in someone’s life. People should learn how to convert their weaknesses into their strengths. Something that feels like a burden can actually become a support to climb higher. For instance, if someone feels lonely and left out, that person needs to make new friends. This might come as a challenge but that is where self-respect can serve as the drive force and push the person to rise above the weakness. Zora Hurston was an African-American author and in her short narration, she confessed that she felt racially discriminated but that never hurt her. She used to wonder at people who avoided her, how could they deny themselves of such a great company. That is an excellent example of an attitude filled with self-respect. Great people who respect themselves always take pride in who they are and what they do. They always look at their positives and never feel backed down by the difficulties. Zora wrote in her narration that it is the contents of the wrappings that count and not the wrapping itself. God has put wonderful things inside the wrappings known as human beings. People need to look at the content, that is probably the most effective way of earning self-respect. Self-respect plays a major role in all walks of life, from eating, talking to wearing. Every aspect of one’s life speaks of one’s level of self-respect. For instance when Muslim girls wear ‘hijab’ (Islamic code of dressing), they are ridiculed. People give them strange looks and give unfriendly comments. But that is where one needs to draw strength from within and convert the negatives into positives. A dress code is someone’s own choice and if people have good reasons for what they wear then it won’t be a problem for them anymore. Naheed Mustafa, a US student in her early twenties wrote a short story about what she had to go through every day when she wore a hijab. She gave a very solid reason as to why she wears such dress, because it is the appropriate thing to do. Only a modest dress code for women can give them complete freedom and save them from being objectified (Mustafa, 1993), that is how odds are transformed into something helpful. But sometimes humans break down and cry. Sometimes the odds are too difficult to overcome, the opposition gets the best of the best. And in such situations, spiritual guidance and inspiration help people pick themselves up. It is good to have an ideal or an inspirational figure, someone to look up to. Just like Dick Gregory had in the form of Helen Tucker. She was there when Gregory was crying and felt like giving up. She was the one who rekindled self-respect in him and brought him back to his feet. Fruitful, fulfilling and motivational relationships are crucial in anyone’s life. It is from these sources successful people regenerate self-respect and reach their destinations. Such connections keep reminding people that need to look at their strengths and never ever back down. Without self-respect, life is colorless. If a person has no self-respect, even small challenges of life seem like huge mountains. It gets very hard to forgive oneself when a person id devoid of this treasure. Feelings of guilt out of petty mistakes grow so disproportionately huge that it starts eating the person inside. Consequently that person starts avoiding challenges, even the ones that are achievable. If someone wants to be free of people’s expectations and become stronger, there is only one cure for it, known as self-respect. Works Cited Tenore, Mallary Jean. "An Essay Worth Sharing: Joan Didion’s ‘On Self Respect’ « Word on the Street." Word on the Street. 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. http://mallarytenore.com/2008/11/17/an-essay-worth-sharing-joan-didions-on-self-respect/ Mustafa, Naheed. "My Body Is My Own Business." Jannah.Org :: Islam the Eternal Path to Peace. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. http://www.jannah.org/sisters/naheed.html Nordquist, Richard. "How It Feels to Be Colored Me," by Zora Neale Hurston”. Grammar and Composition - Homepage of About Grammar and Composition. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/theireyesessay_2.html Gregory, Dick. “Shame”. Essay Tree. Web 05 Dec. 2011. http://essaytree.com/management/dick-gregory-essay-%E2%80%9Cshame%E2%80%9D/ Read More