I had a really hard time with this assignment. I'm usually a very easy going person. Everyone comes from a different walk of life, and who I am to judge someone for doing something differently from me?
My grandmother prides herself for teaching me my manners. I am the Queen of "please" and "thank you." I never chew with my mouth open and putting my elbows on the table is a sin. But if someone else doesn't do that, oh well. They were probably raised differently and it doesn't bother me. Everyone has different values, different traditions. The only thing I stand firm on is the Golden Rule. No one is above it, and no matter who you are or where you are from, you should abide by it.
"Treat others as you would want to be treated." I'm going to have to say that my biggest pet peeve is when people don't follow this simple rule. Seriously, how hard is it to treat others the way you expect them to treat you? My pet peeve has never seemed so prevalent as it does now. Moving to a different state and being forced to live with people you don't know can be hard. I love all my roommates, we get along great. Our first day here, we sat down together and made up some rules and some chore charts to make the transition into living on our own smoother. It worked great for a few days, until one roommate started taking advantage of it. She started leaving all her dishes for the rest of us to clean. She brings home boys when the rest of us are trying to study or sleep. She takes hours in the bathroom, making the rest of us late to class. I don't mean to complain, just prove a point. She would flip if any of the rest of us did that to her. It's super inconvenient, and super rude.
So to wrap this up, when you ask something of someone, make sure you're willing to do it in return. Be considerate and think about how your actions will make others feel. Follow the Golden Rule.
I totally agree with this! I feel for you that your roommates take advantage of the charts. We made charts in our dorm and fortunately no one has yet to take advantage of those! But you made a very good point and touched me because I feel the same way as you. It's soooo easy to just treat others as you want to be treated, though they may not reciprocate the feelings. You did an excellent job of touching the emotions of those out there that feel the same way as you!
ReplyDeleteI really respect you for understanding that people come from different backgrounds and for being so open to people that don't meet the level of politeness and courtesy that you display. I know that being so open and accepting is something that I personally need to work on. I also know exactly what you mean with the roommate situation. The roommate situation is just one example of how following the Golden Rule would improve relationships. Expanding it to a larger population, even a global scale, imagine what our world would be like if everyone treated others the way they wanted to be treated. Even in the church, it is amazing how many people can't abide by this simple rule. If you think about it, it is basically the same thing as one of the ten commandments, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor."
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand your irritation with this. It seems society has progressively become me-centered. Everything has become instant so YOU never have to wait YOU are never inconvenienced. You have the RIGHT to an easy, fast, convenient, wealthy, fashionable lifestyle. Unfortunately, as that mindset becomes increasingly prevalent, the golden rule becomes less important. In fact, it changes all together. Instead of "treat others as you would be treated", it is "people should treat ME they way THEY would be treated." I think it's very important for all of us to recognize that essential difference and strive to be the one to make the lives of others more pleasant, instead of expecting others to do it for us.
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