I vaguely remember first hearing the words of the Golden Rule when I was about four years old. For some reason, I recall a book with a bee on it in our church nursery that had a nice little story. It was the first place I heard (probably didn’t learn) one of the most important lessons in life.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In reality, that’s probably not the easiest concept for a young child to grasp. However, you’d think more people actually capable of understanding the notion would try to follow it… most of the time… even occasionally… at all!
Give and You Shall Receive
This topic is something I’ve been thinking about recently. It started by reading a blog post on the most efficient way to get what you want. I suppose the title and even the article make things a bit self-serving, but the author’s notion would certainly improve upon society’s current state. The post was more web/business related, but the author’s simple method of getting what you want could certainly apply to one’s personal life.
The idea is to flip your question about how to get something into a question about what you can give. This recipe has been shared before in many different variations, mostly famously by John F. Kennedy, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be shared again. Obviously, not everyone has these types of thoughts at the forefront of the minds, so I say it should be repeated as often as necessary.
As I already mentioned, the article’s bent steals some of the altruism by converting a “take” into a “give”. The ideal would be for people to just give, and not decide to do it based on getting something in return. However, the nature of giving does indeed put one at “risk” for not getting anything in return. I’ve often found that the act of doing something for someone else is the reward itself. Any reciprocation the recipient chooses is pure bonus at that point.
What Do We Give to Get an Answer?
The other reason this topic was on my mind today is a guy at work was recently lamenting about the sad condition of today’s society. As the world continues to get smaller, we’re all the more exposed to deeds that are done purely for the sake of harming others. Whether it’s computer hackers stealing financial information or some tyrannical government committing genocide of its own people, these acts are committed by those with zero sense of ethics. If only they would earnestly put themselves in their victims shoes for a moment, I have no doubt they would rethink their actions.
Why doesn’t everyone feel this way? Have people never experienced receiving an unconditional gift, so they don’t know how it works? Are some people just not capable of giving to others? Is there anyway people can be more aware of reciprocal treatment, rather than acting against it?
I don’t have a clue what the answers are for improving use of the Golden Rule. I’ll leave that for you to contemplate and discuss. Hopefully, somebody will find a solution that works. Maybe some already are.
