Saturday, April 25, 2009

Life "In Response"

The long awaited week has come and, unfortunately, gone.  It was our week!  Our week of reconnecting, refocusing and renewing body, mind and spirit.  Walking together holding hands cut down on the number of purchases to be made.  Perhaps that was the plan - I'll never tell!  Just Bev and me in the semi-quaint town of Newport, Rhode Island for seven whole days.  

Walking among the shops, eating in the restaurants, and exchanging greetings with the shopkeepers and wait-staff, one thing became crystal clear.  You will have returned to you what you extend to them.  If we were reserved, then the response would be reserved.  If we were friendly in our banter, then that is what we got back.  If we were complimentary, then, well, you get the idea.

This philosophy of life in response with life seems to have been addressed a time or two already in the history of humankind.  One such occasion which comes to mind is referred to as the "Golden Rule".  You might remember it - "Do to others what you would have them do to you" and was spoken by Jesus Christ.

One has to wonder when this powerful life philosophy stopped being taught by teachers, passed down by parents, preached by pastors and practiced by just ordinary people.  If it were practiced on a daily basis, it could alleviate traffic congestion where drivers jockey for position by letting that driver in front of you (as if one car length makes any difference to arrival time).  The practice of the "Golden Rule" could fire up many marriages if a spouse stopped to think "would I want to be talked to like that?"  Think how any relationship, regardless of how intimate, could be made better, if we asked ourselves first, "Is that the way I would want to be treated?"  

Certainly, the "Golden Rule" could make a huge difference if lived out!  


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