CallaFirestormBW
Posts: 3651
Joined: 6/29/2008 Status: offline
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You know, I've had this question asked of me a number of times -- and had it asked also in the aspect of "If you have multiple servants, can you still respect -me- as an individual, and not make me 'just one of the pool of servants'?". My answer is "Yes, because I respect -people-, as human beings, who are forthright about the commitments they make, and who are genuine about who they are." If I take you into the depths of depravity, and you follow willingly, I will certainly respect you, and I will do so whether you discover that you -enjoy- our shared depravity, or you find out that you can't walk down that road ever again... in either case, you'll have my respect. In the same way, I completely respect those who are called to service because that is where they shine -inside-. While they may answer to my authority, they are certainly 'worthy', and definitely valued in my eyes, whether their best skills come from scrubbing/scouring or flower arranging, or playing music, or editing manuscripts. The nature of the skill does not determine whether the person who performs it is worthy of my respect.... only their honesty and integrity in presenting themselves, and their diligence in doing what they say they're going to do has any impact... in fact... even if they are unsuccessful in doing something that they said that they were going to do, but they -tried- in the way in which they'd agreed, I still respect the person, and the effort put forth. I -do- have some limits, though. One of those limits is that I try to refrain from entering into a romantic relationship with those who serve me, at least to this point -- so there is always that little shift in the dynamic that is different, I think, for those who -are- in romantic relationships with the one to whom they yield, and those who aren't... I think, in some ways, it means that I have to be -more- diligent to let my servants know that they're cherished and respected for what they do, because I can't fall back on the romantic end of the relationship to carry that for me. Hope this makes sense. Calla
< Message edited by CallaFirestormBW -- 10/28/2010 11:11:06 AM >
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*** Said to me recently: "Look, I know you're the "voice of reason"... but dammit, I LIKE being unreasonable!!!!" "Your mind is more interested in the challenge of becoming than the challenge of doing." Jon Benson, Bodybuilder/Trainer
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