The Golden Rule Still Rules
My kids have, once again, gotten things backwards. It all started the other day when one of the boys, who had taken a toy from his brother, came in for questioning.
His answer about what had happened was, “He took my toy so I took his.” When my wife asked what the rule was about how to treat others, he said, “Treat others as they treat you.”
My wife corrected him and said the rule is to treat others the same way you would want to be treated. He looked at her blankly. “I don't hear a difference,” he seemed to say.
But looking at society at large, and online interactions in particular, you can see how someone could think the rule is to treat others the way they treat you. And you can see how terrible an environment this creates.
My wife corrected him and said the rule is to treat others the same way you would want to be treated. He looked at her blankly. “I don't hear a difference,” he seemed to say.
But looking at society at large, and online interactions in particular, you can see how someone could think the rule is to treat others the way they treat you. And you can see how terrible an environment this creates.
Just look at the comment section of, well, pretty much anything online and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It's rare to see someone taking the high road. It’s rare to see anyone doing anything but insulting or attacking.
Public discourse is impossible when shouting down your opponent is the norm. We can’t even agree on agreeing to disagree anymore.
A neutral third party can help with some of these communication breakdowns. In the home, two kids that are fixing to duke it out over whose turn it is to use the swing can be brought to a resolution or compromise when a third sibling helps examine both sides.
In society, the media used to serve this way. Journalistic standards dictated an objectivity and neutrality that allowed and encouraged a view from both sides of an issue. Objectivity is no longer the mission of the news media. Biased bashing and opining reign.
And the news media don’t have a captive audience now either. The fickle winds of social media whip the court of public opinion into a frenzy over things as silly as the color of a dress, to things as serious as life itself.
Is it our culture that presents kids with the idea that you should treat others as they treat you? Basic human nature? Are we doing anything to push back against this self-centered winner-take-all policy?
It's like America went all-in in a high stakes game of poker where we decided all’s fair in love and war. Oh, and in everything else too.
That’s not how it’s going to be in our house. And I hope that’s not how it ends up in society. Nobody wins when every misunderstanding or disagreement is met with a harsh response or action. And we all lose when the Golden Rule rule gets tarnished.
Public discourse is impossible when shouting down your opponent is the norm. We can’t even agree on agreeing to disagree anymore.
A neutral third party can help with some of these communication breakdowns. In the home, two kids that are fixing to duke it out over whose turn it is to use the swing can be brought to a resolution or compromise when a third sibling helps examine both sides.
In society, the media used to serve this way. Journalistic standards dictated an objectivity and neutrality that allowed and encouraged a view from both sides of an issue. Objectivity is no longer the mission of the news media. Biased bashing and opining reign.
And the news media don’t have a captive audience now either. The fickle winds of social media whip the court of public opinion into a frenzy over things as silly as the color of a dress, to things as serious as life itself.
Is it our culture that presents kids with the idea that you should treat others as they treat you? Basic human nature? Are we doing anything to push back against this self-centered winner-take-all policy?
It's like America went all-in in a high stakes game of poker where we decided all’s fair in love and war. Oh, and in everything else too.
That’s not how it’s going to be in our house. And I hope that’s not how it ends up in society. Nobody wins when every misunderstanding or disagreement is met with a harsh response or action. And we all lose when the Golden Rule rule gets tarnished.