The Golden Rule

Treat others as you want to be treated.

In what strikes me as a rather obvious life lesson obtained at a relatively young age, I question the amount of people that actually follow this doctrine. Due to overwhelming feelings of selfishness, greed, and often jealously we are often compelled to treat each other with disdain or a sense of bitterness that never quite seems to go away. I admit that I too have often misjudged or mistreated people based on the insecurities I have had in dealing with them (i.e. Jocks & Jerks), but I have tried my best to not repeat these said processes.

The values of embracing said rule could have helped me in overturning the systematic processes that scarred me for several years of my life. As everyone knows, I was brutally attacked and beat up by Mexicans in the third grade. They literally followed me home, beat me to a pulp, and ran away. But, in all my anger, I attacked them back – not physically due to my lack of muscle and fortitude at the time, but instead through words. I insulted them to get them to leave me alone, but it perpetually increased the ratio by which the bullying took place. When the time came, I outsmarted them by walking home an alternative route – one that was both shorter, and included an ice cream truck along the way. If I was smart though, I would have treated these said Mexicans with more respect – instead of insulting them, I could have tried befriending them more. In treating them like crap, I only increased their hostility towards me due to race relations.

I believe the Golden Rule applies only one way. Just because you should treat someone the way you want to be treated doesn’t mean you necessarily have to treat someone who’s treating you badly the same way. In the end, being the better person often sets yourself apart from the selfishness of human civilization, while showing the other person the benefits of being a good person. If you set by example, those who respect you are likely to follow in your footsteps; those who don’t can learn from it.

As vindictive as it sounds, the United States government has largely been the aggressor in world relations. So, when Ron Paul got boo’ed at a Republican National Debate for espousing the golden rule, I was literally shocked.

As a collective unit, we must all recognize that the Golden Rule doesn’t exist to make us all passive. It exists to create a better overall universe, and is a potential pillar for building peace throughout the world. Though aggressors are likely to come to power even in a truly peaceful world, setting by example is by far the best way to show the benefits of a free society throughout the world.

Treat others as you want to be treated.