BaR-1

Today I leave negativity behind and
will go out of my way to share the goodness
in my heart with everyone I encounter.

The Golden Rule is considered an ethical tradition. This means that groups of people, from nearly every culture and religion, believe that a concept or action is morally right or wrong because other people have held the same belief for a long period of time, sometimes thousands of years. The Golden Rule is a natural law that is also believed to be a moral truth stating to treat others in the same manner you want to be treated. Many ethical groups and religions have some version of the Golden Rule within their belief system. For example, in Christianity the Golden Rule is quoted in Luke 6:31, King James Version as, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise,” and in Buddhism it is quoted in the Udānavarga 5:18 as, “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”

To apply the Golden Rule, you must put yourself in the other person’s shoes and think before you act or react. When you consider how your actions will affect another person then you see the situation from a different point of view. Actions based in love and harmony will allow you to be one with the Golden Rule.

Implementing the Golden Rule

So how can the Golden Rule work for you? If you’re applying the Golden Rule, then you can bring about great changes in your life, especially if you’ve been previously unaware of how your actions were affecting others.

A while back an elderly woman was looking for an address for an event she was attending. She saw me and asked directions, but I wasn’t sure exactly where it was. I told her approximately where it might be and she went on her way. About fifteen minutes later I saw her car parked at the end of the road. The event had already started by then so I went inside, looked up what I remembered of the address online, and had her follow me. When we arrived, she came over and gave me a hug through my truck window as she said thank you. I went home with a big smile on my face because I’d been able to help her. I could have ignored the situation but when I looked down the road and saw her vehicle, I thought about how I would feel if I couldn’t find my way and was missing a big event because no one was answering the phone to give me directions. Putting myself in her shoes and knowing I’d want someone to help me if they could spurred me to act. Sometimes following the Golden Rule means going out of your way to treat people the way you want to be treated, but it makes you feel so good when you do.

Consistency without Conditions

The Golden Rule asks you to be consistent in your actions, which should be in harmony with your core moral code of ethics. For me it means treating others with fairness, kindness, and never wishing upon others something I wouldn’t also wish for myself. Living by the Golden Rule means to look at the success of others as your own success and to be as happy for them as you would be if you had made the same accomplishment. Jealousy, hatred, and envy have no place when living in alignment with the Golden Rule. These traits will only cause conflict, where the Golden Rule will allow you to resolve differences.

The Golden Rule governs conduct and empathizing with others without conditions. One of my primary life rules is that I’ll never ask someone to do something I’m not willing to do myself. When I was a retail manager, I’d clean toilets and climb ladders to change light bulbs and dust fixtures. Because I was willing to do anything I asked of my employees, they were more than willing to jump in and do the jobs, often without being asked. Once there were six of us on our hands and knees scrubbing the grout of the store’s tile floor by hand. When it was finished, we all had a sense of pride for a job well done and a floor that sparkled!

When you live with love for everyone and everything in your heart, following the Golden Rule is easy. There’s no stress involved because it radiates from within and is an integral part of your soul essence. When you treat people how you’d like to be treated, the universe in turn brings more positivity into your life.

If you encounter negativity when you’re living the Golden Rule, try to work through it. If someone wants to start an argument or draw you into their drama, you can choose not to engage, participate, or retaliate against them (this includes online arguments on social media), but instead you can choose to leave the situation. You simply have to make the decision and do it. It can be trying at times, especially if they’ve angered you. Living the Golden Rule doesn’t mean allowing others to walk all over you or take advantage of your kindness. Live with your eyes wide open, live by what is true and right for your own spiritual being, and know you can stand up for yourself and still treat others with respect and kindness. Living by the Golden Rule is your choice, just as it’s your choice how you decide to handle negative situations in order to work through and release them.

Follow Through with Action

Giving the Golden Rule lip service and not following through with action can mean your motivation is in the wrong place, which can make life tedious and stressful. It isn’t about keeping score to see who can do more good deeds; it’s not about mentally putting conditions on another person so that if they act in a certain way, you’ll respond in a specific way. It is about being so comfortable and happy within your own skin that you want everyone else to feel the same kind of happiness so you treat them with kindness, understanding, and most of all, love.

None of us is perfect so it’s important that we don’t judge one another. The young woman using an electric cart in a retail store may have debilitating arthritis or some other medical condition. You wouldn’t know this about her. Instead of thinking she’s lazy, send her love that she can overcome whatever ails her. No one can ever know what another person is going through. If someone is short with you, try not to get angry and act the same way. Maybe they just lost someone they loved, or received bad news, or were laid off from their job. Always try to take the high road and treat everyone the best you can.

Deep inside we’re all the same, we all have fears, dreams, ambitions, and goals. We all love and want to be loved in return. We want to fit in with society, have friends, and engage in fun activities with others to bring us joy. We want good jobs and entertaining hobbies. We all want to be listened to and feel that our opinions matter. Take the time to truly listen to what someone else has to say. Try not to negate another person’s worries or experiences; that’s not living the Golden Rule, which can fill your heart with love, peace, and forgiveness. Most of all we want to be treated with respect, understanding, and kindness. We don’t want to be bullied, ridiculed, or made to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or belittled.

Once you start putting the Golden Rule into action, you’ll realize how your actions are positively affecting others and you’ll begin to feel an internal transformation. You’ll notice you feel better about yourself, more joyful and upbeat, because you’re making a difference in other people’s lives. You’re looking for the goodness in others even when they’re putting on a negative façade. You’ll begin to look deeper, to the soul level, leading to your own soul growth. You’ll find it becomes easier to trust others instead of looking for ulterior motives. The Golden Rule may not resolve every issue but it’s a wonderful place to start.

Try It Now

As you go about your day, do the unexpected for other people. Hold a door open for someone, let the person behind you go ahead of you in line at the store, and greet someone you don’t know with a kind word. Pick up the phone and call someone just to let them know that you’re thinking about them and wanted to see how they are doing. These little acts of kindness go a long way in implementing the Golden Rule. Remember to apply the Golden Rule to how you treat yourself. It’s easy to forget to treat yourself well when you’re busy doing for others, but make sure you are as good to yourself as you are to them. You’re just as important as everyone else.

Practical Application Tips

A smile often helps a stressful situation.
Treating others how you’d like to be treated allows them to feel your kindness and pay it forward to someone else.
Every person deserves respect, kindness, and understanding, even a random stranger you encounter while shopping that you’ll never meet again.
Try to leave every situation better than you found it.
Take positive action without telling everyone what you’re doing. There is power in silence.
Be compassionate and understanding in every interaction with others.
Try not to engage in arguments. The other person may simply be having a bad day.
Don’t make mountains out of molehills when interacting with another person. Be respectful and you’ll often receive respect in return.
When you do good deeds that help others, then you will receive goodness in return. But negative actions will bring negativity back to you. Always err on the side of goodness for the person you’re interacting with and so you receive goodness in return from others. This doesn’t mean that you should be self-sacrificing. You must take care of yourself too.