Respect Yourself

       

             One morning, as I drove to work, I came up behind an older vehicle going about 55 mph, the speed limit being 65 means I came up behind it rather quickly. I signaled and moved into the left lane to go around the small aging car. It was a dull red hatchback, the make, and model I could not begin to tell you; only that it was small. As I went around, I glanced over and behind the wheel was an equally aged gentleman with white hair and a chiseled face, a weathered and rugged elderly gentleman wearing a black suit. My first thought was that he was on his way to the funeral of one of his peers, or a family member, perhaps even his beloved wife.

            I continued around him and moved back into the lane, glancing in my rearview at the little oxidized red vehicle, I asked the Lord to bless and protect him. I steadily moved away from him and continued on my way, but the thought of him still intrigued me.

            It occurred to me that he might not be going anywhere special. He may just be dressed for his day. You see, there once was a time when people actually got dressed for their day. If they were going out in public, they put on nice clothes, a suit, casual wear or a dress that reflected their style. Even if they didn’t have a lot of money, they always managed to have at least one nice set of clothes.

            When I think about how people dress nowadays I cringe. I find the ‘Wal-Mart people’ photos more embarrassing than funny. I shake my head over people who think it’s okay to run to the store in their pajamas.

            I once saw a woman wearing fleece Tweety Bird pajama pants, an oversize t-shirt with some other kind of cartoon picture on it, and fuzzy pink slippers. She looked like she literally climbed out of bed and headed to the store. She was not running in for an item or two either, she had a full cart of groceries. Really? You thought your nightwear was appropriate attire for your weekly shopping trip?

            Just recently I saw a whole family shopping together, mom in her pink hearts pj’s, dads were covered in some food logo; and the kids, well, all three of them were dressed in jeans and sweaters or sweatshirts. I found it interesting that the kids knew how to get dressed but the parents didn’t, and it was a weekend, so they weren’t dressed for school.

            My own Mother, at 80, still got dressed to go to the store, even if it was just around the corner to pick up her medicines at the pharmacy. It might be a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt with some fun picture on it, but it certainly wouldn’t be her pj’s.

            What is this lack of care about? Why has our society decided that dressing appropriately for going out in public is no longer necessary? You wouldn’t wear your swimsuit to someone’s wedding, even if it were on the beach. You certainly wouldn’t show up to a job interview in the wet muddy clothes you just washed the dog in either. Well, maybe, if the job was for a dog washer.

Why do so many people find it appropriate to dress so sloppy? I don’t agree that poverty is the cause. I know too many people who live at or below the poverty level who still manage to dress appropriately when going out in public.

I truly think it is a lack of respect. A complete lack of respect not only for others but for themselves as well. At some time in their lives, they’ve been given the message that they are not worth the time it takes to put on decent, clean, and appropriate clothes for going out in public. They are not worthy of self-care, self-respect, or self-esteem. They are not worthy of respect from others, so why should they have respect for others, or themselves.

Who gave them this message? Who told them they are not worthy? I want to find the culprit and slap them silly. How dare they tell people they are unworthy of love and care, even of themselves. Who made them God?

When Jesus was asked which of all the Commandments was the most important, He broke them all down into just two,

“Love God with all that you are!”

“Love others as you would yourself!”

When you love something, you take care of it. When you love someone, you do things for that person to show them your love. When you love yourself, you take care of yourself, even if it means putting on real clothes when you go to the store.