How I regard you, treat you, view you, value you is of paramount importance. It says nothing about you but exposes volumes about me.

This is a hard one for some people, even very intelligent people, to grasp. I think this is because even if you are very bright and have an arm’s length of degrees, walls of trophies, an endless lists of glowing accomplishments and you may be richer than Solomon at his peak of wealth, if you are angry, bitter, vengeful or crude, it comes out of you (and me) no matter how much you try to dress it up into something decent or acceptable or explainable.

How we treat all others (no exceptions) is about who and what we are no matter who “they” are or what kind of people “they” are no matter who or what “they” happen to be or not be.

Let’s be clear: I don’t care if you are the big cheese in some church or business or get a motorcade through the middle of the city because of your so-called importance, when I see you treat another person poorly I know what you are made of and it is not pretty.

Even then, though, I try to treat you with respect, because my response to you is not about you, it’s about me and who I am.