Living by The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule says to treat others the way you want to be treated. So, if I want people to be kind to me I need to be kind to them. I remember when society tried to live by The Golden Rule; they often thought of others. People held the door open for others because they knew it would be held open for them, they didn't call people after 9PM because that was rude, they quieted their kids so they wouldn't bother someone, and they gave the older person their seat. They did many more things but the bottom line is that they thought of someone besides themselves.

I wish that society today would live by The Golden Rule but it seems like society lives by this: Whatever you do to me I'll do to you. The Golden Rule thinks about the other person, but the current way of thinking seems selfish. It's hard to live by The Golden Rule, especially when others don't, but how I behave says how I am and it comes down to this question: Do I think of others or just myself?

Live The Golden Rule

It's easy to treat people nice when they treat me nice, but it's hard to be nice when they're mean. Some people say they live the golden rule and perhaps they do when someone's nice, but they retaliate and want revenge when someone's mean. (Suddenly they believe in 'an eye for an eye' instead of 'The Golden Rule.') When people get hurt, they want: 1) The people who hurt them to live the golden rule; and 2) The people who hurt them to be nice. It's hard to be loving when the other person isn't the same. When people act meanly, the first inclination is to be mean back. Perhaps it helpful for a person to ask themselves, "Is that how I want to be?" Maybe a follow-up question could be, "If I die tomorrow do I want people to consider me 'mean' or 'loving'? It might be helpful for them to realize that if they want to be considered loving, they need to be that way in ALL situations.

People don't automatically think nicely. Perhaps at first they think of revenge. But after they recognize their thought (and perhaps behavior,) they can choose differently. When their feelings get hurt, they might turn their pain over to the Lord and think 'Please help me deal with this. I don't want to be vengeful but loving.' (People have feelings that get hurt when someone hurts them.) Some people might think, 'This sucks a big fat hairy toe!' They may cry because of poor treatment. (It takes a lot of effort to be nice.) The important thing is that it's not helpful to retaliate. People need to be kind even when other's aren't.

I used to think be how you are in your heart. I want to rise above what I might think automatically to think the way I choose. Now I think be how you 'want to be' in your heart. I hope everyone will think that way too.

The Golden Rule

People SAY they believe in the the principle of the golden rule, to treat others the way they WANT TO BE treated, but they tend to believe in the principle of an eye for an eye, to treat others the same way they HAVE BEEN treated. If someone is mean to them then they are mean back.

A person can never be too nice. If they err, they need to err on the side of being nice. Being nice causes a person to love them. Whereas being mean causes a person to hate them.

Jesus was loved by many people. He was honest (to help) and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. When someone needed something he didn't act put out, but helped them. In turn, they loved him for it. Maybe they could have found the answer themselves. But he helped them when they asked and later showed them how to help themselves.

Even when people were mean and crucified him he said "Father, forgive them."

He was truly a great example of how to be.