Recently I posted a story on Facebook about the Dali Lama, a man I've always had great respect for. I referred the Dali Lama as "His Holiness", which is the proper title for him. I am not a Buddhist, obviously.
I should have known better, but someone was offended/confused/having a bad day and said "Uh, Tim, his holiness?" Yes, that's what I called him. I also think the Pope should be addressed like that and a Jewish Rabbi should be addressed like that. Same goes for Hindu ascetics and Muslim clerics. This man was also a Mormon but sadly a much different one than I am.
I am fully confident that if anyone said anything negative about Smith Jr, this guy would be mortally offended. However he doesn't see that basic respect goes a long way. If you want people to respect your beliefs (respect doesn't demand agreement) you need to respect theirs, or at least fake it.
It's cool and hip to say that you "don't care" what others think of you. To a small degree I understand that and I used to think the exact same way. But if you don't care what others think of you, why should they care what you think at all?
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