The Golden Rule
Do unto others…
So simple yet such a difficult concept for so many folks to grasp!! I’ll try not to spend too long on my soap box about this particular subject but it is a biggy for me. And I should probably note right away that I have no one in particular in mind with the frustrating part of my ramblings!! For as long as I can remember, this has always been something that puzzles and aggravates me. Unfortunately this is something that can be experienced almost daily!!
I know we have all encountered the inconsiderate actions of others. At work or school, in the store, while driving down the road and even a rare occasion at home. The grocery store provides the most abundance of these types …behaving as if they are the only ones in the aisle. They are the ones who are running into you because they don’t feel the need to watch where they are going. They’re parking their grocery cart in front of what you are most obviously reaching for and/or are positioning it so you can’t get by them. They are the ones who are having some sort of reunion in the grocery aisle with no thought to the line of people who can’t get around them. In other places they are those people who make no effort to do for themselves for they know that someone else will do it for them. They are the people whose actions or lack thereof can be frustrating and/or most hurtful.
I believe an even deeper consideration, and obviously an even a rarer one than the mindless actions we see every day, would be thinking about another person who isn’t in your immediate vicinity. There’s always somebody we know who could use some random kindness!! The smallest things can often mean the most to someone. Like an unexpected note on your screensaver that states ‘I kinda like you’ or a not-so-hidden post it in the kitchen that says ‘I love you’. Something as cheap as a .49 stamp could be all it takes to make an unexpected happy delivery to someone who needs a smile. Thinking of someone else with no strings attached…what a concept!!
I have often pondered whether being considerate of other people in general is a learned or an inherited trait. Or maybe a little bit of both. I’m leaning more towards the latter. I was raised by parents who effortlessly followed the golden rule. I believe they taught it most often by example. It seemed that for them it came naturally to be mindful and considerate of other people. Seeing these qualities in my own children and grandchildren makes my heart happy!! While I am personally no expert in the ‘being considerate’ department, I think that being able to recognize and being puzzled by its absence is a good thing.
The most difficult part of the golden rule for me would be how to react to those mindless ones! That’s right…a rule is a rule…it doesn’t go away! So, I try to wait patiently in the aisle at the grocery store. I try not to spurt out a comment about what a beautiful day it could be… I try to smile at the rude drivers with whom I share the road with. If a driving situation requires it, I always wave at these drivers with my entire hand. I try to happily do for others who can do for themselves but choose not to. And I try not to let any hurtful actions or lack thereof get me down by telling myself that maybe these individuals weren’t blessed with the genes it takes to be considerate and possibly weren’t fortunate enough to have been taught as children how to follow that golden rule!!
