What are the steps to being respectful?

Answer 1

"Respectful" an adjective connotes a sense of deferential behavior. To understand respectful behavior, one must understand the anatomy and meaning of the root, respect.

Respect is sublimation, deference, or simple politeness.

As Sublimation:

Sublimated respectfulness is the recognition or belief that the one to whom such is conveyed is better than the perceiver, perhaps hierarchically in a more privileged or powerful position. Some might interpret this as a fear relationship, but this is inaccurate. While fear can be a motivator for such paradigm, more often it rises out of recognition of power or authority. Respect for the position or title is a good way to look at this.

As Deference:

Similar to sublimation, deference is a step below. Beyond belief, it is the recognition that the one recognized is more capable, more skilled, more experienced, or simply more intelligent than the one deferring. Respect for ability is an example of this.

As Politeness:

This is a convention of civilization, perhaps an element of evolution. It is the conveyance of recognition of authority based on little more than the potential for greater experience, or the expectation of reciprocity. Allowing an elder to sit while one stands, holding the door for women, expecting silence from children, shaking hands at meeting, waiting to be recognized before spacking, these are all polite respectfulness.