Think of what a better place the world would be if we always asked ourselves, Would I like someone to do to me what I am doing to them? This simple standard, commonly known as the Golden Rule, is endorsed by religious traditions around the world. Each has its own way of saying it, but they all teach essentially the same thing: treat others the way you would like to be treated. What a simple but vital ideal!
A wealthy nobleman once asked Confucius for advice on dealing with peasants who were stealing from him. Confucius told him, “If you yourself, Sir, were not on the take, no one would be trying to steal from you.” In other words, the peasants felt the need to steal because the nobleman was requiring too much of them and was not distributing his wealth fairly. If only the nobleman had treated the peasants the way he would like to be treated, they would be friends instead of thieves.
The Golden Rule endures because it applies just as well in our modern lives as it did among gentry and peasants. How different a business transaction might be if we treated a client or vendor the way we would like to be treated. How much more peaceful our homes might be if we spoke the way we would like family members to speak to us. What a feeling of safety and trust would fill our neighborhoods if we truly lived by the Golden Rule.
When one person treats another well, the recipient of that kindness feels inclined to do the same to others. And on it goes. The goodwill can ripple endlessly, touching one life and then another and another for good.
Program #4008