I’ve always not cared about global warming, because that just means eventually we’ll all die and the earth will get to recover. We’ll either get it right or die not trying.

There are other definitions, but I concede that just being human is enough for me to respect someone. They don’t have to do anything particular to earn a baseline level of respect. If I see a little kid about to get hit by a bus, I’m trying to save them, whether I know them or not, out of respect for their existence. I would argue that’s more than “common courtesy,” as you define it.

Respect has nothing to do with admiration lol. I respect the law of gravity; I don’t particularly admire it.

I never understood the “respect has to be earned” idea so prevalent in our society. I hold a certain level of respect for any stranger I meet. Just being a human should be enough to warrant some amount of respect. Respect for others is largely a manifestation of your own self-respect, I think. Even then, if that stranger does something bad, you’re not disrespecting them as much as you’re respecting your own values more.