But it is not the divergence of beliefs that causes people to put you down; it is their attempt to force you and others to conform to their belief system while disregarding yours.
If you are not psychologically equipped to deal with such situations, you can easily lose your self esteem over careless comments, ironic jokes or just plain insults.
It is therefore important that you first understand the real reason for such behavior; and then consciously react to it in ways that don’t erode your personal values.
Understanding The Reasons Why People Put You Down
The most important thing to understand when dealing with people who put you down, is the real motivation behind their aggressive behavior.
You’ve probably heard the motivational story about a certain service lady who was always in good spirits, despite being verbally abused endlessly by unreasonable patrons.
Upon enquiry, she revealed that she understood that those insults weren’t really directed at her; she was only being used as an excuse to let them out. Those people are just garbage trucks looking for a dumpsite, she said! By refusing to take offence, she effectively refused to take those people’s filth and make it her own.
