As respect for a friend, spouse or business associate erodes, you’re increasingly left with only regard. Regard can keep it going for a time, but it’s no substitute for respect. Just as respect occurs for reasons, diminished respect occurs for reasons, too. When you discover that someone who is capable of good or great things is also capable of other things, you lose respect. Respect rarely goes away in one fell swoop. You’d have to discover that someone is a monster and a total fraud, for that to happen. Most of the time, respect fades away in almost imperceptible degrees. Then one day, it’s gone. What triggers the recognition that it’s gone is rarely anything dramatic or huge. But the recognition is huge. You can’t fake it away. If it’s gone, it’s gone. And it’s time to move on.