Status and Respect

So, it's been an interesting week. I've been thinking a lot about status and respect, and how these are earned. I have this strong belief that all people possess inherent human dignity, and therefore should be well-treated and respected based on that dignity. However, I do believe that one can earn another degree of respect from people - through hard work or good work or kind actions or wisdom or... a host of other things.

I live in a culture where status and respect are given based on fixed things like age and rank (Salvation ARMY!) And I've got to admit that it sucks to feel like I'm a nobody or that I'm being disrespected or maltreated because I'm young (and look even younger!) and I'm "just" a soldier/a regular church member in my organization that truly values its officers. I have an advantage that I'm married, but have no children, so that is a disadvantage. It feels so strange that my education or thoughts or hard work don't matter... respect and status are based on fixed categories. It's a classic example in cross-cultural differences. And it can be frustrating!!! I'm honestly not all caught up in status and power, but I expect some common respect for who I am - not because I'm fabulous, but because I'm a human being. You know?