I define respect as simply the quality of not assuming anything that contradicts the reality of the thing being respected.

Because of this, one can see that respect is not something that other people have to earn from you. Respect is something that you give freely, or just have as a result of being logical and unassuming, if you have attained wisdom. Respect is its own reward, and you earn the privilege of being respectful of your reality and the people around you from doing the work to realize how to be in harmony with the truth. One cannot be in harmony with the truth by believing a false assumption about someone.