Words from my book Seize the Day reflecting on the so-called Golden Rule by which to live our lives: ‘do as you would be done by’.
If you would be fair
Be like the sun for grace and mercy.
Be like the night to cover others’ faults.
Be like running water for generosity.
Be like death for rage and anger.
Be like the Earth for modesty.
Appear as you are. Be as you appear.
Rumi
A fair-minded person tries to see both sides of an argument.
Aesop
Act towards others as you would have them act towards you.
Luke 6:31
If you would be fair,
if you would be honest,
if you would be loving,
do as you would be done by.
Not as others have done to you,
but how you wish they would do,
how you would like to be treated in their shoes.
Easy to say.
Hard to do.
For what does it mean but this:
to be patient even when we are frustrated,
to make allowances when people go astray,
to see the best when they show the worst,
to give time to others,
even when they fail to have time for us.
Such qualities are slow to take root,
difficult to nurture,
yet are what make the world a better place –
bringing out the beautiful in the ugliest of us,
turning a desert into a garden.
It’s easy to do as we’re done by:
we call it justice.
It’s far more challenging to do unto others as we’d have them do unto us:
we call that, love.