Disrespect hurts. Blatant disrespect wounds. There are essays waiting to be written about the absence of respect being at the root of all kinds of trouble. 

Managing the moment or time when you are being treated with blatant disrespect is a tough row to hoe.

Some daily-life examples on disrespect menu:

• Yelling at someone. 
• Bullying.
• Reprimanding someone in condescending, punitive, and or, loud tones.
• Bigotry.
• Belittling someone, likely rooted in  desire to appear superior.
• Threatening someone (in any way).

“Respect your elders,” is a well-worn phrase, deservedly so and one rooted deep in the Native American Culture. Think about it for a moment. 

If you and I are sitting in a room with three people, ages 65, 75, and 85, we’re sitting in a room with 225 years of life experience! My mindset at a moment like that? Humble up and listen.

The absence of respect – disrespect – is what I call a distance-maker. It causes people to keep their distance from each other. Nothing healthy is happening when disrespect is running the show.  

My tolerance level for being treated with disrespect is ZERO. 

When disrespect is aimed at you by someone you know, don’t fire back in kind. That’s conflict. Conflict does not deserve to be anyone’s default response. 

These days, if I’m treated with blatant disrespect I’ll sit with the experience and pay attention to it. 

The centerpiece of healing in any incident or pattern of disrespect is a simple one. If I’m the one that’s been disrespectful, my responsibility is to fully own it and apologize. Fully own it, apologize. After all, 

We’ve all made (and no doubt will continue to make) unhealthy choices from time to time we wish we could undo. This doesn’t prove we’re inherently bad! In fact, it proves we’re totally human.