To be liked or respected

To be liked or respected?

To be liked in the Era of social media is everything! It is social currency, it opens up doors and you can make a lot of money out of it in the form of being an influencer. It is so big and important that people do whatever to be liked. They post naked pictures, they add fuel to negativity and they spread misinformation - ANYTHING for those likes because they validate you in the digital sphere. People change themselves to be liked, they add filters to their pictures, they do stupid and foolish things for lack of better words. They do anything for attention and to be famous. Being famous means the adoration of your peers, it equates to monetary compensation, sponsorships, exclusive invitations and the opportunity to influence. Social status and likes have become more valuable than Gold.

Being respected on the other hand doesn't bring much prestige and acclaim. It is boring, arduous and slow. To get respect you have to earn it, often through your actions. It is a mutual understanding based on the values both parties cherish. To be respected is hard work and requires you to consistently push yourself, to deliver. But even that is not enough because you can lose someone's respect in a second after years of labor. To be respected is to be a figurehead that everybody wishes to emulate. It is standards, disciplines and values. To be respected is to be a role model. It's difficult to be a role model because everyone projects onto you and you can't let anybody down. You have to be exemplary. To be liked will get you expedient results that flicker like dying neon lights, while being respected will serve you for life without much acclaim.

Would you rather be liked or respected?