Respect is one of the essential practices that sustain a relationship, but what exactly is respect? Manis Friedman offers a beautiful definition:
“Respect means don’t take each other for granted. Familiarity is not knowing someone else too well, it’s taking the other person for granted or being disrespectful”
Here are some examples of lack of respect:👇
- When I stop saying thank you to my spouse for cooking a meal or fueling my car. Why? because after all this year I got used to it, this familiarity is lack of respect. It means I stopped paying attention and seeing you.
- Calling my spouse from another room, summoning them as if they were a pet.
- Starting to eat before my spouse has had a chance to sit at the table, showing a lack of consideration for their presence.
- Rolling my eyes when my spouse speaks instead of expressing my thoughts respectfully.
These acts of disrespect can truly erode a relationship, making the other person feel taken for granted and unseen. This feeling can be devastating and, if it persists, can ultimately end the relationship.
Nobody ever divorced due to too much respect.
The anti-dote to lack of respect is thoughtfulness. You will be surprised about the power of this antidote to repair an eroded relationship🙏
