Permit me to start with the little experience I had today.


I walked into the annex ward of a teaching hospital where I'm a student, to see one of my senior lecturers, also a medical consultant. I'm the class representative and my aim was to reschedule one of his missed lectures.


I met him by the entrance and he scolded me for coming in, as our final year students were having their clinical exams. I apologized on account of ignorance and went on to talk about the lecture. I was holding a half finished sachet of water by the time, so he looked at me and said "how can you talk to your consultant with water in your hand? You either finish it or throw it away". I was shocked by this "unwritten rule" I was accused of breaking, but I obliged.


Now that got me thinking, what exactly is respect? And when is one said to be disrespectful?


Share you opinions and experiences. Thank you