Quote by Rutger Bergman

In Rutger Bregman’s Humans a Hopeful History he writes, “Treat people like dirt and they’ll be dirt. Treat them like human beings and they’ll act like human beings.”

He writes about this in the context of how prisons are different in Norway and their approach of treating their inmates like people, and the associated low recidivism rates and generally low crime rates.

When we say that actions speak louder than words, this comes to mind. How we treat people, and especially children, is how they come to see themselves.

If you treat a child as if they are shameful, or a problem, or a burden, then they will grow up to feel that they are shameful or burdensome.

Let’s treat each other as though we are all beautiful and precious human beings, because we are. Let’s make this our default.

(Which is not to say you should allow abuse or mistreatment, or that you have to allow harmful people in your life😊)