Treat others, the way you would want to be treated!
This is a post about how The Golden Rule is easy to talk about, hard to think about, and harder to do!
You could read the post.
Or
You could put it into action, right now, for one person!
Easy to talk about…
At face value the Golden Rule is a great concept, although I’m not sure how it became golden or a rule.
Most world religions have a form of the rule, although its best known in the west through Jesus words, where he indicates that the essence of the bible is to live this way.
You’ll hear it talked about with kids, in schools, at churches, in communities and even in the business world.
And it’s easy to talk about, probably because we would all like people to treat us that way.
Hard to think about…
Pause and consider these questions:
Consider that challenge your friend is going through right now. If you were that friend, how would you want to be treated by the real you?
Put yourself in the shoes that person who is ‘unjustifiably’ grumpy with you. If you were that person, with all their feelings, beliefs and experiences. How would you want to be treated by the real you?
Ponder being a homeless person on the streets. How would you want to be treated by the real you?
Think about how it would feel to be a parent with a starving child in the third world. How would you want to be treated by the real you?
Harder to do…
In all honesty, my answers to those questions are often not reflected in my actions.
Which could be disheartening, because I can’t help everyone in the world.
But I can help one!
And I can do that today.
∴
Imagine a world were even 10% of people truly completely lived the Golden Rule.
Or imagine working in an organisation where everyone, always lived the Golden Rule first and foremost. (Hint to my coHired & Agoge teams this is essence of ‘love people’)
Or imagine our own life, how radically different would it be if we chose to treat others, the way we want to be treated.
What if treating others, the way we would want to be treated,
stopped being some abstract golden rule,
and instead became our life mantra?
Disappointed? Yes. Appalled? Often. Outright angry? Sadly.
Thank you to the many people I’ve connected with this year, who gave me an unimaginable gift.
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“You don’t understand,” I said partly in jest, “It has nothing to do with their fear of change. It’s ALL my own insecurities.” As soon as I heard the words leave my mouth, even though I was meaning them to bring humour, I knew they were true.
“I hope all the leaders of the world can try and do good” Abdullah Kurdi says a year after his two sons and wife drowned trying to flee Syria.
As this post goes live, my friend at work has her 1 billionth second on this planet. HAPPY 1,000,000,000 seconds.
Over the last couple of years I have met quite a number of incredibly intelligent uni students who want to make a positive dent in the world. Many are passionate about social enterprise and using business to change the world.
In your job; at school; when at home; or even in your relationships … are you seeking security or impact?
“You’re the nicest person on the face of the planet! Thank you for being so gracious” was the response to me from one of the staff at a