“I shall treat all people in the manner with which I wish to be treated unless they have otherwise proven themselves unworthy of that respect. Be polite at all times. Ignore my own speculation on what others may think of me.
What others may think of me is none of my business.”
The Defense of the Flame, The Code of the Dreamwalker
I Shall Start with Respect
Respect is a difficult thing. We cannot advise that you treat with respect those who would do you harm. We cannot advise that you treat with respect those who would lie to you, who would take advantage of you, would steal the bread from your table or the wine from your cabinet. But you and I do not know in advance who those people are. And do, you must decide how you will treat those people who have done you no harm, but may do in the future. You must decide how to treat the people who have not mistreated you, but may so do in the future. I think that you, like myself, would not wish to treat others preemptively with disdain or hostility. But I assume that you, like myself, do not wish to expose yourself to unnecessary danger. And so, how do we proceed?
Politeness presents no weakness. Decency can be performed without offering one’s exposed throat. So what do I recommend? I recommend being polite, but not meek. I recommend showing respect without showing a willingness to debase oneself. One treats others with respect, because one treats oneself with respect. Be polite, because you are a being who is worthy of politeness. You treat others with respect, because you are worthy of respect. But you act with strength. You act with clarity. You do not bow to others. None are your master. None are your better. You treat others with respect, because they are your equals. All are your equals, because none are your superiors. Remember this. You are polite and respectful to other, not because they are your superiors, but because they are your equals.
None are your superiors. All are your equals.
This is key. There are no masters and no servants. If you are told by somebody that you are lesser or subordinate, they are of the Locust King. If you are told that you master or superior, you are accepting the bargain of the Locust King. All are your equal. All are worthy of the respect which they have earned. And none are worthy of respect without cause. You treat each new person with the same respect which you would hope other would treat you. And you adjust that treatment based upon the knowledge and experience that you accumulate as time progresses.
We are all worthy of a fair first impression. None are worthy of immunity to assessment of their deeds.
I Shall Not Speculate
But what about what others judge with regards to me? If I am judging others, are they not judging me? Yes. Obviously they are judging you. But so what? You have no control over their judgements. They may judge you well or badly. They may have your measure, or they may misjudge me. But you have no control over that. Others are allowed their own judgements. So long as they have not treated you with disrespect, it does not matter. If they treat you well, you aught treat them well. How they judge you in their heart is there own business. That is how respect works.
All should be judged by their actions. The privacy of others thoughts are to be respected.
Professor Harbinger's School for Villains 