Unless you live under a rock there was little chance that you missed the visit to the United States by the Pope.  What a whirlwind trip for him and a blessing to those who had the good fortune (or took the time) to be in his presence.  For many it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity and good for them for taking advantage of that fact.

The Pope cited the golden rule:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  He also spoke of how “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome.” And further that the golden rule “points us in a clear direction…let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated.  Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek ourselves.  The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.”

Powerful words these…yet how many of us actually take the time to heed those words, much less understand them fully.  Fewer than most would like to imagine I suppose.  So where do you stand on the issue?

What does it take for each of us to view another person the same as we view our self?  That other person becomes the “I” which is strange just even be considering it.  We get so caught up in our unique individuality that to “give” someone that privilege seems almost too much to ask.  Do we have an ethical obligation to meet the golden rule?  What if others chose not to reciprocate?  Would we be able to continue to follow the golden rule our self?  It seems I have raised more questions than answers here.  Potentially that is a good thing for the more we ponder these issues the better we may be as human beings.  Ultimately that is what we all would love to see and feel from our neighbors.

So let us not “discard whatever proves troublesome”; let us allow others to be the “I” along with us; and, always pay attention to the wonderful blessings that come over you in this process.  Ultimately I believe it will prove worthy of our efforts.  Time will tell as it always does…..

“We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.” – Edwin Markham