Humiliation Hurts

As soon as I finished last week’s entry, I began pondering this week’s topic. I heard and saw everything in a more meaningful way now that it is potential material for a blog. I ended up with several topics that seemed timely and provocative but the one that stood out is “humiliation".

I witnessed another individual’s humiliation and it literally felt like a punch in the stomach to me. I have not been able to shake the incident. I dusted off Mr. Webster and looked up his definition of Humiliation: "to hurt the pride or dignity of by causing to be or seen foolish or contemptible, to mortify or degrade". To me, these are strong ugly words. And to do this to another person is a mean ugly thing.

Quite often, humiliation is a deliberate act stemming from hurt or anger. You have been attacked so you’re lashing out and fighting back. This too, is hurtful and damages relationships. However, this is not the situation I am addressing. What concerns me is my action and maybe yours when we speak before we think. Or if we have a weird sense of humor and think we’re cute at the expense of another. My family as a whole has a weird sense of humor and we quite often cut each other in order to get a laugh. Sometimes it really is funny, but I’m no so sure it always is.

I wonder how much damage is done to children by parents who constantly humiliated them in their young formative years. Constant belittlement will eventually peal down the personality and could potentially cause life long damage.

I can’t help but wonder who I might have unknowingly humiliated along the way. I’m sure I have and somehow I would love to have the opportunity to see these folks and say—I am truly sorry. I know it is painful because it has happened to me. It touches a corner of your soul that is rarely reached and it feels terrible.

In our effort to spread love, lets start the old practice of thinking before we speak. Let’s not attack each other. Differences are not a bad thing. It is diversity that broadens our horizons and makes us wiser. Let us never humiliate another person as long as we live. It does not make us look smarter nor more powerful. Instead, it makes us appear weak and bullish.

To degrade another is simply wrong. If we have any chance of self actualization, we must make humiliation extinct! Let us always and forever, love one another just because it’s the right thing to do.

Peace and Love.