Is Respect Given or Earned?

Do you think respect should be given or earned ? I think respect should be earned because people have to give it to me for me to give it to them. One way of showing respect is obeying anything that they say, that’s why it’s important to be picky to choose who to respect.

For example, a lot of Nazi people respected Hitler, so they obeyed his commands, so they started killing a lot of Jewish people and a lot of people died. I don’t want to accidentally obey the bad or evil wrong person that’s why I should be picky and I judge everything they say and do to earn my respect before deciding if they are worth obeying and respecting.

I trust my dad because he is my dad and I know he cares about me. Also in the past when he explained something to me, he had proof and a computer. He gets an idea from the internet and makes it more understandable. My dad said the world is flat. I trust him because he told me a good story. He said that water can’t bend and I agreed with that so I agree with everything that goes with it. Next time when he shares something, I will believe him.

I have to earn my own respect from others. I don’t know why I deserve it in the first place so I have to do things to prove that I am worthy of getting it, it’s only fair that way. If I break promises then people don’t trust me and I lose their respect. If I argue and I already know that I am wrong but I enjoy debating, people may not want listen next time when I have something actually good and convincing to argue. Therefore I have to keep proving myself.

If people want respect from me, they have to give it first. What is the point of giving it to them if they don’t give it to me? What is the point of liking someone if they don’t like me? I only respect people who are nice to me. I trade my respect for their respect. Respect is a valuable item that should be earned. I don’t want to give out stuff for free for people who don’t deserve it.