The Golden Rule

So, I thought I'd blog about the golden rule, for no particular reason. I first heard of this rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" as an impressionable 2nd or 3rd grader in a public school. I remember the principal pointing it out to a few of us after she had posted it in the typical block letters on a bulletin board in a main hallway. You know those things in life that really strike you and you think, huh, that makes sense and I really like that. Imagine my delight when some 28 or so years later I learned that these were Jesus' words! (Luke 6:31) The Bible and Jesus are so practical. A quick Google search has taught me a new way to say it: (ahem) "ethic of reciprocity." Apparently it transcends most religions. I'm okay with that. So I'm throwing it out there: do we treat others the way we want to be treated? Do we show genuine respect for persons of other color, people who don't look like us, act like us, worship like us? What about the gas station and store clerks, dance instructors, and those who have alternative lifestyles? Jesus loves them just as much as he loves us. We don't have to agree or even like everyone, but we are commanded to treat everyone with respect.