Post Written by Eugene Morgan
When there is hostility, anxiety, depression, respect is lost. When we respect ourselves our hostility, anxiety and depression decreases. The person who is hostile to another person has lost self-respect. This means the person is off-balance. All humans have an instinct for self-preservation. In an evolutionary view, we have an old brain and a new brain. The old brain regulates our body systems such as our respiratory system, circulatory system, etc. The old brain is responsible for our moods as well. The new brain is our cerebral cortex which is responsible for reasoning, decision-making and planning.
Since the old brain is responsible for regulating our body systems, it has to keep the systems in balance. For example, if our body is low in sugar, then the old brain will tell the body to find a way to balance the sugar level. We all experienced walking up a flight of steps finding ourselves breathing so hard to catch our breath. This is because the old part of brain has to tell the body that it needs more oxygen to the lungs and the heart has to beat faster to pump more blood for us to walk a flight of steps. Our species has survived for many thousands of years, because of the old brain.
Most people would get upset if they found a scratch on their newly bought car, or if someone slams a phone down in someone’s ear. When we get this hostile is because we are off-balance. The old brain is trying to compensate for the lack of respect. If we understanding this about ourselves, then our hostility will decrease while our respect increases.