Decimation of Disrespect

Spiny Softshell Turtles are fascinating.  Instead of the usual hard shell of the turtle its shell is soft and leathery.  As a result, it cannot bask in the sun, as other turtles do, or it would cook its insides and die.  If you are able to capture one be careful!  They have long necks that can reach all the way back to their hind legs, so holding them at the rear of the shell is the only safe way to keep from being bitten!  Because they are so vulnerable they are much more aggressive when they sense danger.

Capturing them is fairly simple.  Because they cannot bask in the sun they bury themselves in sand, about a half an inch to an inch deep, depending on their size, and then poke their heads out of the sand. Protected by the layer of sand they can warm themselves and bask in the sun without risking death.  The sand is usually very close to the edge of the water and slightly damp.  Seeing those long necks and pointed noses suddenly duck beneath the surface of the sand tells one where the turtle is, and all you have to do is dig it up.

In the water these turtles are very fast, their shape giving them the ability to move through the thicker liquid with surprising speed.  If I captured one, and put it in the bottom of an aluminum canoe, leaving it there for hours in the sun, it would soon perish.  Many children that capture these delicate turtles discover that by accident.

Failing to respect the nature of these turtles leads to an untimely death for them, when the captor's duty was protect and provide.  In many ways failure to respect leads to the decimation of character, and not just in little things.  Noah Webster, one of our Founding Fathers, wrote Advice to the Young & Moral Catechism.  In that small book he had much to say about respect.  Here is an excerpt from that worthy text.

"17.  The Bible contains the commands of God; that book is full of rules to direct your conduct on earth; and from that book you may obtain all you want to know, respecting your relation to God, and to your fellow men, and respecting the duties which these relations require you to perform.  Your duties are comprised in two classes; one including such as are to be performed directly to God himself; the other, those which are to be performed directly to your fellow men."

Unfortunately our present culture is not about duty to God and others.  It is focused on pleasure and self.  "I don't feel like it" is a common excuse for ignoring duty.  We see it everywhere we look today.  Even the statement in its grammatically incorrect posture reflects the decimation of disrespect.  "I don't feel like it" is really a poor way of saying "I refuse to do what I should, and damn the consequences!"

Young men that wear their pants half way to their knees are saying loudly and clearly "I refuse to dress respectfully, and damn the consequences."  Girls and young women who wear sexually provocative clothing are saying the same thing.  Adults behind the wheel that weave in and out of lanes of traffic and travel over the posted speed limit are saying the same thing.  Anyone that tells a lie is saying the same thing.

My duty to God and others is what determines if my relationships are healthy and wholesome.  Ignoring that leads to disappointment and dissatisfaction.  Character suffers at the hands of such a cavalier attitude.  If you do not have good character, who is going to trust you with any responsibility?

Love has no room for disrespect.  Webster goes on in his book to remind students that we are to love God foremost and above all things.  My love for God should be so great that in comparison everything else looks like hatred!  We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Those who dress disrespectfully are showing that they do not even respect themselves!  Those who act disrespectfully are showing that they do not even respect themselves.  How then can they show respect to anyone else?

If I respect God for who He is, my Creator, my God and King, my Lord and Savior, then I will respect myself in Him.  If I respect God's commands and my duty I will treat others with utmost respect and love, and my character will be impeachable.

"Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do."  Psalm 1:1-3 NLT  We must not forget the next three verses!

"But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.  For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction."  Psalm 1:4-6 NLT

Why would anyone chose the path that leads to destruction, to the decimation of character?  They incorrectly believe that it is an easier road.  In a world without respect there is no trust, and no love, only chaos and pathos.  When we love God as He intends, and each other as He commanded, there is trust, respect, order, and prosperity.  As for me, I choose to do my duty.  I hope you do the same.