"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
THAT golden rule, not a diatribe about Trump. ;-)
I have seen people behave in a rather ungolden manner for years.
Back when Obama became President of the United States (POTUS), there was some talk and behavior that I didn't care for. Some of the people who were unhappy that he won spewed a lot of hatred. As an example:
I actually un-friended people on Facebook, but not because of differing opinions. Because their posts looked an awful lot like prejudice and bigotry.
One side calling the other side names. Didn't matter which side.
Everyone claiming they're in the right, they're the good guys.
Now that Trump is POTUS, we're STILL going after each other.
Now, instead of quickly un-friending someone online, I've actually tried to listen (or read) what they're trying to say. Trying to look past any hate or degrading wording and try to listen to what the "other side" is saying.
If we simply claim, "not my circus, not my monkeys," or shun people, or un-friend them, then we limit our understanding of the world, we limit our exposure, we keep our blinders on, we do not grow. Neither side hears the other. How is "the other side" supposed to know your love if "your side" never allows them to see your love?
Back to that Golden Rule. When the insults are lobbed at us, we bemoan that the "other side" is not nice, that they're bullies, they're whatever swear word comes to mind. But, when "my side" lobs insults at the "other side" then that seems to be okay.
The Golden Rule is NOT "do as I say, not as I do." As a kid, adults would tell me not to do a thing because it wasn't right nor nice, and then I'd see those same adults do the very thing they just told me not to do. For example, my cousin and I would be riding in the backseat of Grandma's car and we'd insult people we saw. Of course Grandma would tell us that was not very Christian of us, so we'd stop. And then within 5 minutes, Grandma would yell at some driver, insulting him/her in a very unChristian way. My cousin and I, being the smart alecks we are, would tell her the same thing she'd just told us. She didn't like that very much.
I used to be a very rude person. I insulted people. I called people names. I made fun of others. Even though I did not like it when people were rude and/or insulting to me. A vicious cycle of nastiness. As they did unto me (be nasty, insult), I did unto them. The sins of the father visited upon the son.
One time, that I barely recall, someone decided to speak up and actually tell me/yell at me that I was being rude and insulting and that what I was saying and how I was behaving hurt her. I was taken aback. She broke the cycle. It woke me up from the haze I was in.
I gradually grew as a human being. I healed myself on a mental level, and then on a spiritual level. Though, I'm still learning to walk the walk and talk the talk because sometimes I still fall back into old habits, old patterns.
For example, I still occasionally yell at people while I'm driving, "NICE TURN SIGNAL DUMBASS!" And I'm all LMFAO at the Trump and Spicer impersonations on Saturday Night Live. I'm a work in progress.
I understand that sometimes there needs to be a mirror held up, that sometimes we need to speak up and say, "hey, I think you're wrong," and that comedians are often those mirrors and those voices. But, at some point, we need to stop hurling insults. We need to break that vicious cycle of nastiness.
Peaceful, I reiterate Peaceful, protests are a good way to hold up that mirror and get your voice heard.
But, it rather negates your voice to stand at a protest while holding a sign that lobs an insult, no matter how clever and catchy it may seem.
We need to stop lobbing insults and issuing ultimatums and return to the table. Time to sit down and discuss. Time to stop the "my side" vs "your side." If we can stop with the nastiness, maybe we can find our common ground. Stop pointing out all the ways we are different and start looking at all the ways we are alike. We're all in this together. We need to find and create "our side."
As you would have others do unto you, do unto them. No matter how slow your start, just start. One foot, then the other. If you fall (into old patterns), get up, dust yourself off and continue on. Live life in love. Stay gold, Ponyboy; stay gold.
