“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson


J. This is at the heart of what we are discussing here. My favourite part of the quote is "...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same..."
Through understanding how utterly precious 'I' am, we simultaneously acknowledge the preciousness of each other.  This, of course then leads to stepping up, and behaving accordingly.
But, I believe, this has to begin with treating ourselves well.  I'm not talking about indulgences (although the eggs bennie this morning were delicious), but a sincere belief in self worth.  
Again, as Williamson says "...Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you NOT to be?..."  And then, of course, the same must apply for everyone else.
Again, putting it in the real world, people do bad, rotten things...but when we separate the person from the action, then we can still respect the marvelous.