I don't ask much from my fellow man except a little respect.

And you can damn well believe that I'll show them their due respect but I better get it back in return.

Is that the proper way to be?

Probably not but at least everyone knows where I stand on the issue.

"By nature, we do not perceive ourselves or others accurately. We magnify the importance of ourselves and diminish that of others. In the beauty of a clear night, however, we look at the stars and feel ourselves small, unimportant, and at peace. On an objective scale, we sense our insignificance. Somehow the realization comforts us. The return of the illusion hurts us, takes our peace away, allows us to magnify slights, rejections, and humiliations as others challenge the illusion of our self-importance with theirs. It is in our human nature that this be so; it is our task to transcend it."
- Barry Grosskopf
Hidden in Plain Sight