Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Do Unto Others...

I have always been a fan of The Golden Rule, and enjoyed the simplicity of such a fundamental moral principle. I have, however, discovered that it needs to be amended. "Treat others as you would like to be treated," is all well and good, if you treat yourself well to begin with. If you don't, then maybe there's a need for a Silver Rule, or a Bronze Rule, in which one can begin to practice being good.

Maybe the Silver Rule should be, "Treat yourself as you would like to be treated." That's simple. Self-explanatory. Perhaps a bit self-indulgent, but what's the harm in doing something nice for yourself? I keep meeting people that just don't give themselves the credit they deserve for simply being alive. It's not easy. I'm not being pessimistic, but I do think that more people need to take a step backwards, give themselves a long, hard look and say, "Hey. I'm okay. In fact, I really like myself." And then they should get a hug. And maybe a medal.

As far as a Bronze Rule goes, that might be a little trickier. There are some problems with the Golden Rule, but the biggest problem might be the expectations of reciprocity. If I expected everyone to treat me the way that I try to treat them, I would probably end up pretty disappointed. Perhaps the Bronze Rule should go a little like this: "Be as good as you can possibly be." If everyone was as good as they allowed themselves to be, then they could treat themselves as well as they thought they deserved, hence, the Silver Rule.

this gets complicated, but only if you forget what "good" actually is.

it's hard to remember what's good, but i believe that we forget only because we get caught up in defining what's bad. there's an awful lot that's bad for us. in case you forgot, consult your Bible. or the Surgeon General. we're told that anything and everything is bad for us, whether it be ultra-violet rays, carbohydrates, pre-marital sex, talk radio, Europeans or chocolate. how bad can chocolate really be?

This post has gotten slightly convoluted. Here's the breakdown: "Be good. Then be good to yourself. THEN, go for the gold." Remember, you deserve it.

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