Growing up, I was always told, "treat others how you want to be treated". I have recently learned the true meaning of these words by witnessing someone who obviously didn't take this advice.
If you are speaking down to me, no way in hell am I going to respect you and treat you as my equal. You have no right to think that you are better than me for absolutely no reason.
Before you complain about the way that everyone treats you, I advise you to step back and look at the way you treat them. Think of the possible reasons that they are treating you this way, because most of the time, they are just reflecting the attitude that you had towards them.
Go into everything with the attitude that you are equals. You don't get to put a higher value on yourself. You may feel as if you are too good to respect others, but that mindset will lead you down a dark and lonely path. Nobody wants to spend time with a snob.
Your tone of voice gives someone an instant insight of how you feel about them. If you always try and speak like you are superior, people are obviously going to feel disrespected. It's the small things that can ruin your encounters with other people.
Watch what you say. You don't know who is related or who has past experience with a topic that you are bashing. There is no need to run your mouth and make people instantly dislike you because you have offended them.
Be careful. Respect is hard to earn back. Most people are willing to forgive at first but never forget.
Next time you are out, smile at the guy that you pass on the street. I bet he smiles back. Respect and positive attitudes are contagious. If you start to improve the ways that you communicate respectfully, you won't have to worry about being the victim of disrespect.
