Listening to the news can make anybody move toward their addictions as opposed to dealing with their addictions.  I was considering what might make our world a kinder, gentler place to be when it struck me.  Just live by “The Golden Rule”.  Simple.  This may be one of the most universal “rules” throughout the world.

Not to get religious on you but consider these five religious references to the Golden Rule:

• The Bible/Old Testament – Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk.  Love your neighbor as yourself:  I am the Lord.”

• Rabbi Hiller (fl. 30 BC – 10 AD): “That which is unpleasant to you, do not to your neighbor.  That is the whole law and the rest but it’s exposition.”

• The Second Testament – Luke 6:31: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”

• Confucius: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to other.”

• Hinduism: “One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self.”

Can we all start treating others the way we would want to be treated?  This allows for compassion and empathy to be present in our day to day interactions and we end up treating each other as the “universal I”.  Not only are we kind and gentle to ourselves (i.e. demonstrating healthy behaviors) we are kind and gentle toward other people.  Let’s try that for a while, shall we?

“I have something that I call my Golden Rule. It goes something like this: ‘Do unto others twenty-five percent better than you expect them to do unto you.’ … The twenty-five percent is for error.” ― Linus Pauling