Don't allow contempt to touch your soul. Have we not all experienced it -- being treated with contempt by others? Remarks like:"for the last 20 years your life has been like a roller coaster ride" or  "all these stories I have been hearing about you". We could go on ad infinitum with such remarks and the contempt we have experienced from others.

As we grow in maturity and are clearer about the meaning and purpose of our lives, we realise that positive statements like" "You have an enormous capacity to give of yourself"; "you have a big heart"; you always reach out to others"; are closer to the truth.

Who hold others in contempt do so out of a sense of frustration and their own inadequacy. They consequently think they have the right to be judgemental and join the moral brigade that punishes others. In fact, it creates even greater rifts and divides people & leads to disharmony..

On the other hand appreciation heals divisions, it builds bridges, and adds to our strengths; it helps us with self-affirmation, it brings positive forces into play and it also gives us the "feel good" feeling.

So what if we are not invited to parties; so what if we are not counted among the rich and famous; so what if we are ignored; so what if we are treated with hostility; and so what if we are not given the credit due to us? Once we realise that it does not really matter, we will continue to do good whatever be the comments. We will learn to become servants of God, who is both loving and merciful.

The trouble starts when we begin to feel that those who humiliate others have the right to be judgmental. Contempt for anybody- the less privileged, people of other faiths, women, the differently abled, the mentally challenged- these could percolate down to different strata of society. When we challenge those who treat us with contempt, all we are saying is: "I am my own person, with my own weaknesses and strengths, just like you. I will not accept any put downs because they demean both you and me". Those who show contempt for others may never stop. But to challenge it is something we can do. Go ahead then and do just that.