Redefining Respect:

  There are people whom we remember by their faces. The piercing gaze of one or the knowing smile of another forever etched into the planes of our memory.
  Then there are other factors. Honeyed voices. Lacquered tongues. Broken promises. Shattered hearts.

(When you're a low-key Loki supporter in a world drooling over Thor.)

  Sometimes however our recollection of someone is based on neither of these. Sometimes when we remember someone , we remember the way that the world shifted in their presence.
  Mouths snapping shut as crescendos resolved to hushed whispers. Smiles discarded off faces as they encountered the impending doom of his presence. Spines straightening and postures solidifying.
  You can't deny this. There's some part of you that is impressed by the way that the world gravitates towards him. You yearn for that level of authority. To be unaccountable to everyone. An emotion tugs at your heart whenever your eyes cross.

A searing red for this feeling.
A blinding yellow for the accompanying ambition.
A timid beige for the way you subtly imitate their accents.
And finally the purest shade of black to clear your palette.

What was the word we used for this?
Respect?

Overwhelming in its intensity, blinding in its nature. Is it still respect when experiencing it becomes a law rather than a choice?

Do we really respect anyone for the person they are? My conviction crumbles as I look around me.
The police officer that fined you heavily for a minor mistake.
The mentor who was unjust in his grading.
The boss who had no regard for privacy and personal space.
Why is our fight restrained to petty trash-talk about our neighbour's fashion sense and our respect extended to those , for whom we will always speak ill of in solitude?

Humanity's greatest flaw is the ease with which it succumbs itself to lies.
You tell yourself of the decreasing market trends and your dream job vanishes into thin air.
You convince yourself of the benefits of being tied in a relation and the next day you stop valuing freedom.
You see yourself as worthless and within seconds everything you've ever accomplished crumbles into ruins.

Is that red searing with emotion or bleeding with insecurities?
Is that yellow pulsating ambition or shuddering envy?
Is that beige mere imitation or a hunt for validation?
What version of respect is this that completely consumes our heart with fear?
 The answer?

You do not respect him.
You respect his authority.
You don't value him.
You value the impact he has on people.
His isn't a regime.
His is a tyranny.

  And you're perfectly content with handing over your strings to a puppeteer , feigning awe at every choreographed action and cementing his imposing rank by inflating his self-esteem.

(Team Peeta forever.)

  This revelation however, does not necessarily entail action. History has repeatedly proven that the act of rising against one's superiors -no matter how cruel they be in their dealings- has served no other purpose other than demonstrating one's naivety.

A loaded pistol.A leering threat. A condescending whisper effectively reducing us to angsty teenagers with nothing but a whole lot of words.

(I relate to this gif on a personal level.)

  Yes, we are children of the 21st century. We will always be defined by numbers. We will be taught about morals as an obligation and instructed to "improvise" when it comes to situations where exposure might risk our futures. We will forever be subjected to this system ,which simultaneously grants us control over life and reduces us to husks as human beings.

(That pre-exam week when you count on coffee more than you count on your friends.)

Of course we are confused. In a world built upon paradoxes where calling oxymoron is frowned upon, we have every right to be confused.

The key here is to remember.

  The rage that follows biased promotions. The helplessness after being wronged. The grief upon realizing that in some ways society will always be above us.

These are things to hold on to.

Because one day when power inevitably shifts into your hands, it will be the choices you make rather than the ones you are denied that will alter the fate of the future.
  But when that time comes, It is crucial that we are listeners rather than dictators.The advocates of peace instead of the holder of shattered promises.
  It is crucial that we be the change that no one could ever become for us.