Spring is upon us and it brings all its beauty for a renewed season! It is fitting, then, that The Good Eggs explores the virtue of respect for the environment this month.
Disrespect . . .
Benedict lacks respect early on in the chapter when he throws his candy wrapper on the ground and says the wind will take care of it. Ms. Poach reminds the Eggs that it is important to respect people, property, all living things, and the planet. She then assigns a special project for Earth Day.
Benedict decides he doesn’t want to work in a group, so he does his project alone. Things don’t turn out so well. He has to learn a tough lesson about the harm littering can do not only to the environment, but also to others. This time, his dog Scrambler, nearly choked on one of Benedict’s candy wrappers. In the end, Benedict realized the importance of respect.
Earn Respect?
Respect is often something we expect, but may not always give. Sometimes you hear people say that “respect needs to be earned.” Do people only deserve respect by proving they deserve it, or is it something inherent? Property, other living things, and the planet can’t earn our respect, but we know we should still respect them. We can often confuse the notion of approval with respect.
I don’t have to like somebody’s actions, but I should still respect her or him as a person. I don’t have to like or approve of something someone has said or something they stand for, but I must realize that I still must respect the person. This sometimes sounds easier said than done. We often judge people by their opinions or actions, and then our judgment determines our attitude toward that person.
Mental Note
This week, keep a mental note on yourself when it comes to how you respect not only people, but the environment as well. Remember, it’s easy to respect those we like or causes we approve of, but it’s much more difficult to respect those people and causes we aren’t so fond of. See what you discover this week!
Have a great one!
Wishing you all GOOD things,
Sandy
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