Those that define you can confine you

"I'm not mad at you for that, I'm mad at you for being yourself." Jane's husband said.

It's not human nature to respect people more than they respect themselves. For some reason this theory never seemed to wrap fully around Jane's head. There were so many bad words for hard-headed, stubborn women that she could think of. Weren't they just trying to gain respect in saying these things?

Jane always tried to remain quiet and calm. She always respected people right off the bat unless they gave her reason otherwise. How many times has she disrespected herself by staying silent? She could never count; although oftentimes if she did speak up, she would then be verbally abused. Staying silent was the only easy way in a game that could never be won.

Whenever Johan, Jane's husband so often spoke bad about someone off the streets, no matter how ugly or lame, she always felt a chip of her soul flake away. He was in essence talking about her because his hatred and anger for her ran deeper than any disdain for the public.

"I hate.... I hate.... I hate....(fill in the blank)". The words seemed to roll off his tongue more gracefully than any symphony. And she was at that moment uglier than the homeless black man who wore only a thick pair of damaged socks. He carried a misspelled sign requesting contributions with one hand and dug through garbage with a golf club with the other. At that moment his ability to mulit-task was more notable than any quality she inhibited. Johan, in his anger, thought she could be with him and told her.