Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated

Treat others the way you want to be treated

I believe in changing the world though one little phrase, “Treat people the way you want to be treated.”

I had just finished playing with the little girl across the street. As I left her standing in her front yard crying, I ran back into my house to tell my mom that I was going down the street to play with my other friend Elaine. At this time my mom had already found out about the sad little girl across the street. (It is amazing how fast a phone call from an upset mother of a sad little girl takes.) My mom kneeled down so she could look me straight in the eye and asked, “How would you feel if someone told you that they did not want to play with you anymore? Reanna is that the way you want to be treated?” This is one of the many lessons but the most important lesson that would stick with me throughout my life. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Anyone who has come across a good friendship knows that you do not let anything come between you. I first found this friendship in my friend Brandy. I will never forget the day when I became very sick. I was 14 years old when I was diagnosed with a rare blood condition called Evans syndrome. (My blood was not making enough platelets.) Those two weeks in intensive care were one of the longest two weeks in my life but also one of the best two weeks in my life. For the first time I was shown what true friendship is about. To this day I believe that my best friend Brandy is what kept me alive. Even though Brandy was not exactly family, through the help of her mother being a nurse at the hospital she was able to visit me every day in the intensive care unit at Johnson City Medical Center. Her mom would bring her in to see me when she finished with school. Most of the time I was completely out of it but I knew she was sitting there in the room just doing her homework and watching the Bill Cosby show. Her presence there with me is what made a difference. She would keep me alert by talking to me and telling me about all the gossip going on in school, how she wished that I was there laughing with her, and how she knew without a doubt that we would make it though this. Those two weeks I knew that this is how I want to be treated and how I would continue to treat others. Brandy and I do not talk much theses days but I know that is she ever needed me in anyway I would be the first person there holding her hand and saying, “ We are going to make it through this.”

Another example of treating others the way I want to be treated came with a boy named Jason. Jason was my boy friend of two years. During these two years we went through a lot. The time he lost his mother from cancer, the stresses of the Army, and his deployment to Iraq. Jason lost his mother to cancer about three weeks before he had to deploy to Iraq. He is the type of person who does not like to deal with things, and this was one of them. I saw him cry once at his mother’s funeral, the rest of the time he would take his frustrations out on me when he would get to call me from Iraq. I learned to be patient. I tried to put myself in his position. He was away from his family in a country that hated him, fighting for our freedom. I knew that I was the one closest to him so it was easier for him to take his frustrations out on me. I just kept saying to myself that if I were in his position I would want someone to be patient with me and try to understand what I was going through and love me enough to stay by my side. This is what I did. I loved him enough to do that because this is how I would want someone to treat me. We are no longer together, but I know that what I did for him came through that simple little phrase. “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

My mom has always been there for me, even when I may have not treated her the way I should have. She has been there for me through scraped up knees, broken hearts, and laughter that just never ends. She has even stayed by me when I left home telling her how I could not live with her anymore because she drove me crazy. She has still stood there with arms wide open, a big hug, and millions of kisses. My mom has truly shown me perfect example of treating other the way you want to be treated. Along with Brandy, my mom of course stayed by my side when I became very ill. There were countless days when she stayed up for 24 hours taking care of me. She made sure that I was taking my medicine on time, making sure I was eating right, and that I was getting better. When I would be admitted to the hospital she was there listening to every word the doctors and nurses would say she would even wake up to every peep the machines would make even when it was just checking my blood pressure. My mom was there and ready to deal with anything that came our way. Now it’s my turn. My mom is getting older and with age comes health problems. My mom has been diagnosed with chronic congestive heart failure and is very sick. It is my turn to take care of her. Now is time to step up to the plate and treat my mom the way she has treated me. Arms wide open, a big hug, and millions of kissed.

People throughout my life have shown me what it means to treat others the way you want to be treated. If the world would just focus on this little phrase and act upon it, I believe that it could make a huge difference. I believe that the world would be a lot better place if we treated others the way we want to be treated.