Nobody, but nobody, has the right to...

... diminish you, make you smaller, less than, insignificant -- but they CAN, if YOU give them that right.

There is a beautiful story about the Buddha and his followers:

One of the Buddha's bhikshus was sitting very dejected in the Sangha (a buddhist convent, monastery), during the evening contemplation. (Bhikshus - pronounced bhik-shoo in the singular, and bhik-shooz in the plural, as written here - are monks who have renounced society to be members of mendicant and contemplative community, which is what the Buddha's followers were, and for their sustenance they depended on alms from society, and went begging everyday.)

Noticing the unhappy bhikshu, the Buddha finally asked him why he looked so sad and upset. At this the bhikshu bristled with anger and told the Buddha that he didn't like going begging for alms everyday. That some village folk were far from kind. Not only did they give nothing, but insulted and rebuked him for coming to their door begging for food everyday.

The Buddha listened to the bhikshu patiently, and when he was finished, the Buddha said to him: "When I go out asking for alms, I receive the food I'm given. But when someone gives me what I don't need, rebuke and rude words, I don't receive them. Why do you receive them? Receive only what you need - the food, not the chastising and the unkindness."

Likewise, why should we 'take' from others what we don't need? Just because someone 'gives' us something doesn't automatically mean we must 'accept' it. We ought to be judicious - receive and keep that which nurtures and enhances us, makes us thrive and bloom. Refuse that which reduces and shrivels up our spirit. In doing so we give our power away to others. The choice is finally ours, because nobody can take our power away unless we forfeit it.

Be like the Buddha!

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.