| Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I long believed in the Golden Rule and tried to live by it. But over the years, I have found that the rule needs to be refined. Of course, one should treat others courteously, kindly and so forth. But given different personalities, one must refine one's approach to others. I may be someone who prefers frank honesty, even when it hurts; the other person may be highly affronted or hurt by such an approach. If I am timid and hypersensitive and approach a confident braggart the way I would be approached, I will get nowhere. So I now try to live by the motto: get to know the other and treat them as they would want to be treated. Similarly, I ask that others get to know me and treat me accordingly. Maybe if we all did this, we could live in harmony. Windows and Mirrors Look into a window And see- the self Reflected back to you. Look through a window And see- the other Reflected Through you. Open the window To meet- and greet To reflect Each other. -MW Píccolo has her say:  Humans use mirrors to gaze at themselves; I use a mirror to look at others behind me. I do not need a mirror to see myself; I know who I am. Windows allow me to look out and guard the house against all intruders, real or imagined. | Gnothi Se: Know Thyself The Self If one is to keep growing, If one is to know oneself, One must never cease to test The limits of one's limited self. Mind and body must keep evolving, Horizons must keep receding, If one is to keep growing, If one is to know oneself, And if one is to make a difference! Mirrors and Windows All need a figurative mirror and a figurative window, the former to see the self, the latter to see the other. Neither can be ignored with impunity And both are necessary for unity! The Self and Beyond The many look but only the few see, The many hear but only the few listen. The many remain encapsulated and are the poorer for it, The few escape the confines of the self and are the richer for it. A Balance To be given to the self Is an elemental given. To be taken with the common good Is a later cultural acquisition. Individualism is a natural disposition, Socialism's a bridling of that bent. Too much individualism spells anarchy, Too much socialism a stifling bureaucracy. The individual's well-being and that of society Is best served in restrained insistence. Each camp must forfeit if each is to gain, Neither will prevail and both will survive. Gnothi Se We are not that or this But that we are also Something far more. It is only beyond first glance And only beneath the skin That each in all life'ssubtleties May be found and grasped in full. The Greeks said Gnothi se, Today it's know thyself. 'Twas too challenging then, 'Tis too troublesome now! -JM An Epigram a Day: Mirrors breed conceit, windows shed light. Ask of yourself what you ask of others. Altruism is but egoism in moral guise. To know the other is to better know the self. To know oneself is to begin to know the other. To help/hurt others to to help/hurt the self. To know the other is to appreciate a sister or a brother. |