Can Society Function Without Respect?

1st place Club Level winning entry in the 2018 Optimist International Essay Contest, written by Marina Bradley '19
Imagine a kindergarten classroom. There are cubbies filled to the brim with backpacks covered in princesses and monster trucks. There is a rug covered in numbers, animals, and shapes. There are shelves decorated with brand new books and stuffed with toys. All the letters of the alphabet hang above a chalkboard, and the walls are covered in posters of rules and positive sayings. Struggling to keep still in the tiny chairs at the tables covered in paper and crayons is a class of four and five-year-old kindergarteners. They are noisy and disruptive, giggling with their friends or fighting over who gets to sit where, until the teacher walks to the front of the classroom. Everything goes silent and they scoot their chairs up to the table and give the teacher their attention. This classroom represents society. A teacher needs respect in order to teach. A society needs respect to function.

What is respect?

If you ask one of those kindergarteners, they’ll tell you that it’s not talking when the teacher is talking or sharing the toys with the other kids. However, that definition of respect only lasts for a short period of time in a person’s life. Respect is defined, by the Oxford dictionary, as a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. There is a clear-cut reasoning behind person's respect for someone else since it is an admiration elicited by a certain aspect. Respect is a basic moral value. It proves to ourselves and others that we have a human identity as well as acknowledging the human identity of others. Respect is an idea that surrounds our everyday lives. It is a building block of healthy relationships; a basis for day to day human interaction. Respect is living within the set boundaries, showing interest in other people’s emotions. It is accepting other people’s similarities but, in contrast to that, accepting their differences too. It is acknowledging their rights and needs as legitimate. 

What Happens When We Don’t Have It?

Without respect society begins to crumble. The society goes from functioning and stable to madness and chaos. What would have happened if those kids in that classroom did not respect their teacher? They would continue on giggling to their friends and fighting over seats. They would never learn how to read or write. They would never know how to do math or learn the days of the week. They would not know how to share. They wouldn’t be able to acknowledge other people’s feelings or thoughts. The classroom would not be able to function. Without respect, the teacher can’t teach. The kids can’t learn and chaos breaks loose. Respect is necessary for the well-being of the kids and the teacher. An admiration of the teacher needs to come from the kids because, without it, the idea of respect for authoritative figures becomes void. Once the authority of the teacher diminishes, the kids have nothing to look up to. They have no reason to be nice because they never learned and it was never a requirement to. 

Society in the absence of respect would be much like the dysfunctional classroom. It will fall into that state of madness and chaos. Authoritative figures in a society with no respect are incapable of accomplishing anything. The lack of respect from the people in the society towards authoritative figures would prohibit the progression of society. However, it would not only be the respect towards the leaders that would hinder the progression of society; the absence of respect between people would stop the movement of society forward. Respect is necessary for healthy, sustainable relationships between people. The lack of respect has a negative effect on the connection between people. It damages the way emotional connections are created. People would not be able to accomplish anything in their everyday lives, let alone in society. They could not show interest in other people’s emotions and thoughts, or accept other people’s similarities and differences. Relationships would dissolve, and differences would gain a negative connotation that would create a divide.


A Society Needs Respect to Function

Respect as an unspoken way of communication allows for strong relationships between a leader and the people, but also amongst the people themselves. The relationship between a teacher, an authoritative figure, and the class, a group of people, is based on a shared respect and allows for the progression of the children’s minds. The common respect between a leader and people allows for the progression of society. A sense of respect between the children allows for them to learn from the teacher as well as learning from each other, the basics of communication between people, which then gives that group of kids the ability to function together or as a society. Without respect, this chain falls apart. A teacher needs respect in order to teach. A society needs respect to function.

About the Optimist International Essay Contest

This particular writing contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people room to develop their own views around a central idea. In addition to the opportunity for written expression, participants have the chance to win a college scholarship. The essays are judged by a committee of retired English teachers. 

Severn School students stand together in a school hallway.
Caleigh Meek '19 and Marina Bradley '19
This year, two Severn students had winning entries in the contest out of 25 submissions on the local level sponsored by the Severna Park/Fort Smallwood Optimist Club. Marina Bradley '19 and Caleigh Meek '19 both entered this essay contest through their junior English seminar, American Public Address. This year's topic afforded the students the opportunity to think and write about an important concept: "Can Society Function without Respect." We are proud to congratulate Marina and Caleigh for their 1st and 2nd place awards. By virtue of her first place win, Marina's essay will advance to the District Level of this competition. Both Marina and Caleigh — along with their guests — will attend an awards banquet on April 12th where they will read their award-winning essays.

Our teachers go above and beyond to nurture scholarship and leadership among our students. That means connecting our students with opportunities to really take ownership over their interests and talents and to do so beyond the walls of our school. Upper School English and public speaking teacher Dr. Jackie Baugh often encourages her students to write for real audiences and helps them build the confidence to show their work on the public stage. Our faculty is dedicated to making sure that every Severn student finds their voice and more importantly, learns how to use it. 
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