You've inevitably heard about The Golden Rule, right? Basically, it suggests that we should treat people the way that we want to be treated. While that sounds good in theory - the reality is, it's somewhat flawed. Now granted, The Golden Rule is based on Scriptures, and I dig Scriptures. That said, I'm hoping that the Good Lord will permit me some leeway here; and since God is wonderfully kind and just, I'm hoping He will accept my slight "enhancement." So here goes.
The flaw is in the expectation that we all appreciate how to give, and how to receive, good treatment. That's not the case, is it?! Moreover, there's lots of selfish, me-oriented folks who just aren't nice - and don't care how other people feel. So - is it okay for these folks to treat others badly, just because they're accepting of bad treatment. Nope, don't think so.
We see this phenomenon a lot in corporate America, where in some companies, senior management is indifferent to bad behavior amongst fellow senior managers. And so they pass on that indifference to the folks who work for them. It's a trickle down bad manners thing.
That said, what The (More) Golden Rule should say, is that we should treat people the way "they" want to be treated; not the way "we" want to be treated (because again, "we" could be a big-time jerk, whose happy to be treated, and treat, like a big-time jerk). And this isn't just a semantics thing. It's not. You see, in this interpretation, we become others-oriented, as opposed to self-oriented. And being truly others-oriented; sensitive to their desire/style of communication and interpretation, is a very good orientation to have, regardless of your title or position.
Others-Oriented is Good.
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