How would you like to be treated?
Do you like it when people are gossiping about you behind your back? Do you like to be left out, to be left behind or to be ignored? Do you like it when someone jumps the queue? Do you like people stealing or damaging your things? Do you like it when someone does not clean up the garbage where you will be staying or eating?
Do you like to be wronged or disadvantaged? Do you like to be discouraged? Do you like to be lied to? Do you like it when people do not forgive you? Do you like to be honked at in traffic? Do you like it when people get impatient or angry at you when you do something wrong? Do you like it when your partner is flirting with someone else or cheating on you? Do you like it when others come too late to an appointment with you? Do you like to be criticized?
We know very well how we would like to be treated by others. We quickly get aware of even the smallest violation of the standards we apply to others. We would always like to be treated perfectly. Are we now treating the others as we expect it from them?
I have given you a few examples so you can reflect on the saying:
Love your neighbor as yourself
which also can be expressed in the words
Do unto others as you would have them do unto to you
If everyone would be following this instruction, we would have no war and no strife, we would have perfect peace in the world.
If you follow this instruction yourself, people will like you and they will start to trust you. Eventually they will be entrusting you with their affairs. They might even promote you, or to put you in charge because they have seen that you treat others well, that you care for everybody and everything.
The manager would like to see his business prosper, so he will not put people in charge who are selfish, no, he wants someone who can motivate others, who does not discourage and criticize, but who always works in the best interest of everyone.
Jesus expressed this in the following words:
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
This is the universal law of the human society. But rarely do people honor this law. Rather they think that they will gain only by outsmarting others.
Real success as a society will not come unless we start to follow the principle of charity.