We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

This belief is rooted in the experience of recovery, where the newcomer is treated with kindness and understanding.  The same is discovered in the principle that “leaders are but trusted servants.”  It’s a difficult for many of our students at the Family Foundation School to learn to treat everyone, regardless of their opinions, behaviors, status or harms, with the dignity which is rooted in our shared humanity.

Often times the challenge is to keep an appropriate boundary when another is being destructive to themselves or others, yet none the less to find ways to show care and concern for the individual, even if it’s simply to offer a prayer on their behalf.    Other times it’s the challenge to face up to the often unconscious prejudices within oneself that falsely color our opinions of others.

As this teaching points out:

“RESPECT (kweehsitaatinki) This term is the overlap between the notions of ‘fear’ and ‘respect’. Loss of respect produces instability. Instability brings harm to the people. Within the concept of kweehsitaatinki (respect) is the belief that one should not seek control over others, rather we should learn to identify the differences that exist within the social complex and respect them.” Healing power of relationships, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

On a daily basis we experience the healing power of respect in our community, especially when the challenge is dealing with angry teens.