As children many of us were taught a simple and wise way of living. This simple guidance was taught to me as “The Golden Rule.” This rule states that we need to treat others the way we want to be treated.
It is also stated as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This rule works very well. When we treat others with loving kindness, loving kindness comes home to us. When we treat others with respect and courtesy, we receive respect and consideration in return.
Living by the golden rule is easy. We each know how we wish to be treated, and to receive this type of treatment all we must do is treat others this way. Unfortunately for some of us the golden rule breaks down in daily application.
It is too easy to judge how others are treating us without taking one moment to consider when and in what way we too have missed the mark. No one is perfect, and we don’t want to hold ourselves or others to impossible expectations.
Joshua taught me that I must be diligent in the development of self-awareness. He gently and consistently reminds me that my entire experience of reality is a perfect reflection of all my thoughts, feelings, beliefs and expectations. Joshua teaches that what I believe is happening “out there” is truly occurring “in here.”
With this understanding in mind, it is evident that I need to treat myself the way I want others to treat me. Have I been rude to myself? Do I put myself down, or call myself names? Do I think I’m undeserving? Do I punish myself repeatedly for my mistakes? Am I a harsh judge? The way I treat myself is the way I treat others. Then, the perfectly functioning mirror of my reality shows this behavior to me through others.
Sanaya Roman channels Orin, a wise and gentle spirit teacher. I want to summarize this blog with these words:
“You do not need to change other people; you can change your reaction to them. When you choose to feel good you are not dependent on other people acting in certain ways to make you feel good. Before you can attract people who will support, appreciate, and acknowledge you, you must choose to do that for yourself.” – Orin
I want to support, appreciate, and acknowledge you as you practice the golden rule inside-out. We remember that what we fill ourselves with always spreads outward. Be loving and kind to yourself, and we see the light grow and love show all around us. I love you.
Jul 1 2012: 1. Romantic love is absolutely nothing like movies, literature, and music lyrics say it is. The only rule in love is to treat each other like decent human beings, and the rest you learn by experience. 2. My life will be nothing like that of my parents’. I won’t be able to buy a house with a big backyard and pay for all my kids’ university tuition. The world changes, and we must adapt to it and adjust our expectations. 3. I will make mistakes whether or not I have someone to guide me, and it’s better to make my own mistakes than someone else’s. I am better off using my own imperfect judgement than trying to get other people to make decisions for me. 4. I am on my own, and I can never fully rely on others to save me if I’m in trouble. I have to learn how to take care of myself and take responsibility for my own safety and well-being. 5. I am not the person I thought I was. I am capable of things that I believed I would never do, given the right circumstances. It is for this reason that I learned compassion for moral transgressions in others, and learned not to judge.
Beloved teacher, thank you for taking the time to share what you have learned on your journey of life. It looks like you wrote this message in July of last year, but you posted it on my blog yesterday, May 12, 2013. I imagine most of these beliefs remain true for you at this time. Is that so? Have any of these five beliefs shifted? In my opinion, life is an amazing teacher, and we continue to learn as we go along. I truly appreciate your compassion for others, and I sincerely hope you love and accept yourself with equal energy. Shine on.
All versions and forms of the proverbial Golden Rule have one aspect in common: they all demand that people treat others in a manner in which they themselves would like to be treated.
I agree, Bryon. And, a point I want to add is that we are most able to treat others well when we are able to treat OURSELVES with love, respect and kindness. What we fill ourselves with is what we have to offer others. I thank you kindly for your comment. I would have replied sooner, but I was away on vacation. I treated myself to some recreation and relaxation! JOY! 🙂