According to Rabbi Shmuley, parents who want to raise children to become responsible and independent adults must teach them the significance of treating everyone with dignity. It's a concept he discusses in Chapter 4 of his book 10 Conversations You Need To Have With Your Children. "[Tell your child] 'I want you to be one of those honorable people who always make others feel that they are important,'" he says. "From the most important people to the most ordinary people."
Whether you acknowledge a homeless person's need for money by handing him a dollar bill or ask a waiter her name and give her a kind smile, Rabbi Shmuley says you can lead by example and teach your children that all people are valuable. "If you become a bestower of dignity … you achieve significance by making others feel significant," he says. "You become important by making others be important."
Today's Shmuleyism
"The way to gauge someone's morality is to see how they treat the people they don't need. Morality is always determined by how you treat the people you don't need."
