This I Believe

This I Believe…

I believe in the Golden Rule. I believe in being kind to someone so that hopefully, just hopefully, they will be reciprocating the gesture. I believe in showing respect to everyone so that they will show me respect back. I believe in being a good person so that others around me will be good people. I believe in practicing what you preach.

Holding the door open for the body walking into the store behind you. Saying “thank you” to the guy loading up your burrito at Moe’s. Even just letting someone merge ahead of you on the highway. All of these are simple daily tasks that everyone should take to heart. We all expect this of everyone else but rarely expect it of ourselves. Practice what you preach.

Treat others as you want yourself to be treated. What a magnificent rule that everyone should learn to follow. If all people adhered to this ideal, the world would improve immeasurably. It’s the little things that really matter. We all know the feeling you get when someone acknowledges the nice things you do for him or her. So why is it so hard to take that one extra breath and move your mouth muscles just one more time to utter those two syllables that can mean so much?

Maybe it’s just me, but helping others and making people feel good is a great kind of high. You don’t even have to work at a soup kitchen or build a house for a homeless person to get that feeling. As I stated before, it’s the small things that matter. Go give a homeless person a couple bucks; it honestly feels good.

I’m really tired of people expecting so much from everyone and expecting nothing of themselves. No one is willing to take that first step. No one wants to lead anymore, just follow. I’m sure if being nice paid money then more people would start being amiable. But since not many people feel like being gracious, then I guess I don’t have to be either, right? The irony of life provides endless humor.

I believe that if we all lived life by the Golden Rule then the world would be a notably more desirable place. If you expect a thank you from your parents for cleaning your room, then tell them thanks for making you dinner. It’s like a short-tern Western version of karma. I like to dream about utopia, but I always plunge back down to the real world of liars, cheaters, and self-centered egomaniacs.