Humiliation and Respect

[Soul Reaver]

Edited

Where do you guys think respect comes from? What does it mean to respect yourself?

Do you have to earn your OWN respect?

[FelineNostalgia]

I have to warn you first of all I'm tired and my concentration is a little naff.

Have you ever met people or had relationships with people that respect you for you.If so really focus on these interactions. Remember that pretty much everyone feels disrespected or laughed at and humiliated at some point in their life.

Do you ever feel guilty easily? I know I do this when I over emphasize with people

[Greek Dog]

Perhaps I am speaking more to myself than to you because what I am going to write is easier said than done, but I believe it none-the-less.

You wrote:

How can I make people respect me more when I'm so open-hearted and playful? I'm not the typical push-over...I can be quite aggressive...I'm just kinda reactive and people like to take the piss...and I can't find it in me to just ignore people....because in the end I DO CARE what other people think of me.

My first point to make is that the key here is that you respect yourself. It is paradoxical that the respect you have for yourself actually conveys to others and where it does not simply becomes irrelevant when you hold yourself in esteem. Being reactive can be changed with determination. It certainly is not easy but it can be life changing and life giving.

When you feel disrespected poll yourself and examine what your own feelings and reaction to yourself are. IF you are feeling self-critical work on making that shift and feeling respect for yourself. You will be surprised at how significantly you will begin to see respect come back from others.

[Merr]

I agree with GreekDog but I'd add that respect is earned rather than commanded. You need to 'earn' your own respect as well as that of others. What do you think someone who you'd respect would look like, act like and so on? What would you get out of being respected, how would it feel? You talk a great deal about the feelings of humiliation but you need to imagine what respect would feel like. If you're able to at least imagine something, it's more likely to enter your life.

[wanzulfikri]

For humiliation is 'perceived'. There is no humiliation unless you think it is .

[RonSouther]

Humiliation is an attack on your ego and respect is nourishment for your ego.

Egoless, neither of these matter.