Work out what you really want from life.

Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.

how can one respect, let alone adopt, the values of a people who do not, on any level whatever, live the way they say they do, or the way they say they should?

I think there has to be a mutual respect. If there is maturity, it should become apparent to them that you are happy doing it and this is what you want to do. As a second generation, we have all these resources: Do we do what we want or follow passion?

Respect other people's feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.

We must start from the joy of life, from respect, from humanity, because the most important thing in life is having respect for other people. Especially for those who might think very differently from you.

Deploy introspection and understand what you need in your life.

The secret of life is to find out what one really wants.

Ever since childhood I have suspected you get along better if you respect people’s ways and wishes regardless of your apparent relative strengths.
That doesn’t mean you let people walk on you. It doesn’t mean you eat their pain for them. You need to demand respect for yourself, too.

Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.

Learn to understand others. Most people do not want to understand others, instead wanting others to understand them. This is egotism. We should try to think less of ourselves and more of others. Try to understand others better.

Instead of asking "what do I want from life?", a more powerful question is, "what does life want from me?"

Don’t try to force or nag people into doing what you want. Accept that they are free to choose. But you help them choose what you want.

You should ask certain questions: What is the purpose of my life? What do I want from life? What are the things that I truly value, that are not done just to please or impress the people around me?