We learned a lot in kindergarten. There’s even a book about it! Our teachers showed us how to share, how to appreciate snack time, and how to read. All of these are important skills that I still use today. I like to think I’ve gotten them down pat, even though I definitely appreciate snack time more than I share. #onlychildproblems
One of the most important lessons our kindergarten teachers, and hopefully our parents, taught us was The Golden Rule. In case you’ve never heard of this before (and if not, where have you been?!), The Golden Rule is simple.
Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.
Who could argue against that? If you wouldn’t want to be spoken to in a certain way, don’t speak to others that way. If you wouldn’t want something done to you, don’t do it to someone else. It sounds reasonable enough.
And yet, it seems like we’ve abandoned that idea.
It’s no secret that this is a crazy time we live in. My apologies for sounding like a grandma with that one, but it’s true. Whatever your political views may be, and we’re not going to discuss them here, it’s just one stressful news cycle after another. Most of the stress comes from what we keep doing to each other. We’re shaming people for who they are. Punishing them for coming from a certain background. We’re taking away rights and making it harder for people to live their lives.
But why?
Over the last couple of years, I’ve frequently wondered when people started losing their empathy and compassion. How do you look at the suffering of another human being and want to contribute to that pain? My chosen career field might make me a little biased, but it hurts me to just think about that. How do you not see the similarities between you and them?
There have been no answers to these questions.
People continue to make decisions that increase other people’s pain and discomfort, and I will always be completely blown away as to how someone does that and sleeps at night. I can’t change what goes on in the rest of the world, but I can change my immediate environment, and encourage you to do the same.
Remember The Golden Rule.
It’s a simple mindset that I think we can all benefit from. When you cut someone off in traffic or on the sidewalk, think to yourself, “Would I like it if someone did that to me?”. What about when you’re speaking loudly on your cell phone in a restaurant? Would you like it if the situation was reversed? When you think about whether or not a trauma survivor should be believed, ask yourself – “Would I want someone to believe me if I were in their shoes?”. Answer that question, then act accordingly.
Some may see it as a tall order to treat everyone in the world as if they were their close friends or family members. But at the very least, we can practice basic empathy in our day to day lives. You don’t have to give as much energy to a stranger as you would your best friend, but make sure you’re treating your fellow human beings in the basic way you’d want to be treated. If you want courtesy and respect, offer it to others. If you’d like your person and your space to be respected, respect that in other people.
You learned it in kindergarten, and it’s even more important as an adult.
Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.
Author: Rachel
Rachel is a licensed therapist and co-founder of Viva Wellness. She gets most of her inspiration for the blog while on the run, and if you ever need to find her, she’s probably in Central Park. If she’s not running, you’ll find her planning the next time she’s going to eat, exploring all things wellness in NYC, or raising her stress level by watching her sports teams.
