Yeah, in a perfect world.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I agree that hard work should be respected, for sure, but refusing to respect a person who has natural talent is like refusing to laugh at somebody who made up a joke on the spot, as opposed to thinking about it for a long time, or refusing to thank somebody who is genuinely good to you, as opposed to someone who struggles to bring himself to do something nice. Talents are worthy of respect as much as anything. They make people into something special. A person's natural gifts are what make him who he is, or her who she is, and they are some of the greatest things about us as human beings. They say, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard," and it's true- but talent beats hard work when talent does work, and usually by a long shot. Talent allows us to do some truly incredible things. Embrace them.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm not saying talent should be frowned upon, not at all. I am saying that having talent alone does not merit respect, but hard work invested in it should be. If somebody with a lot of talent works hard, they should be respected, but for the hard work, not the talent

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Talent deserves admiration and positive reinforcement to improve and work upon that talent, and if somebody uses talent and makes the most of it through hard work, only then does it deserve respect. You can admire a joke, but not respect someone just for being naturally clever who barely uses it. But you can respect an Olympic runner who is extremely talented but works at it tirelessly.

by Anonymous 10 years ago

In most cases I would say both. But if a person has a grandiose amount of talent and doesn't act upon it they don't deserve that full respect. For example: a kid in my math class is bright and really clever, but is one of the laziest people I've ever met. I respect his wittiness and ability to solve problems without even trying, but I can't respect his character and work ethic.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think such talent merits admiration, but not respect. It's a good thing, and deserves to be recognized as such, but the person doesn't have control over natural talent. What earns respect is what you do with whatever talent you're given

by Anonymous 11 years ago