OPINION: The golden rule seems lost

Do you know the Golden Rule and where it is found? It's found in Matthew 7:12 in the Bible among the teachings of Jesus: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (NKJB)." Of course, the common translation of this verse is "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." No wonder it is called the Golden Rule, for, as Jesus said, it is the foundation of society, of people living together in peace.

The Old Testament is actually composed of three main kinds of writings: the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament), the Prophets (books dealing with God's message to mankind), and the Writings (historical books and others). When Jesus added "for this is the Law and the prophets," he was actually saying that the Golden Rule was God's message to all of us, the summation of Old Testament teaching about how God interacted with mankind.

It is tragic that so many people today have lost sight of the Golden Rule. Instead of doing to others what you would like for them to do unto you, we tend to do unto others whatever we think is going to help us the most. I know people who attend a large church in order to have more contacts for their business. I know of others who never do anything for their neighbors and get angry whenever their neighbors do something they don't like. The big question with many people today is not the Golden Rule but, rather, "What's in it for me?"

Let's suppose for a moment that we took the Golden Rule seriously. That would mean we extend to others the privilege of meaningful living with the hope that they will return the favor. It would mean that instead of demanding our own way regarding so many things that we stop long enough to consider what these things mean to others. Here are a couple of examples: Instead of saying that you can't make me do anything, we begin to say that we are willing to do some things just because they help someone else. The decision on whether to be vaccinated is one of those decisions.

Second, Instead of passing a law requiring school children not to wear a mask, why not think about the people attending school who either have not been vaccinated or perhaps have special needs? Looking out for one another in school appears to make more sense than trying to make people conform to one standard. After all, common sense tells us that it may be possible to require students to wear masks in order to protect themselves and others, but it appears the opposite whenever people mandate students not to wear masks so that they may infect one another. Thankfully, almost all of the school districts in Northwest Arkansas ignored the State Legislature and asked that all students and teachers wear masks while inside at school.

Life is like that. As I was about to enter one of our golf's club houses recently, I noticed written on the door: "No shirt, no shoes, etc., no admittance." That sign is on a lot of doors to places of business, and no one has objected to it that I know of. So, what's wrong with saying, "No vaccination, no admittance?"

As I was driving down one of our Bella Vista streets the other day, I met a car that was about two feet into my lane coming right at me. Of course, I moved over and honked. It didn't do any good. Apparently, the driver of the car was either impaired in some way or just felt he or she was entitled to all of the roadway. That's happened to me a lot in Bella Vista, and it's no fun since many times there is no room to move out of the way because of a deep ditch alongside the road.

I was standing in line at a restaurant recently waiting to pay for my food and get out of there when an elderly woman came up behind me and began to almost push me forward. Since I had on a mask and she didn't, I politely suggested that she give me just a little more space. She looked at me and said, "It's okay; I've been vaccinated." I replied, "So have I, but many of my friends are now in the hospital and I don't want to be guilty of spreading the virus." I stepped back and allowed her to go before me.

So what about the Golden Rule? Do people even know what it means today? Think about it the next time you're in contact with other people and what you might do to make them feel both safer and better.

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Robert Box has been a law enforcement chaplain for 27 years. He is a master-level chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains and is an endorsed chaplain with the American Baptist Churches USA. He also currently serves as a deputy sheriff chaplain for the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Opinions expressed in the article are the opinions of the author and not the agencies he serves.