“Treat everyone the way that you would want to be treated.” I hear this all the time and it is FLAWED I tell you FLAWED!!
“Why do you say that, the Golden rule is sacred and has been around forever?” I am so glad that you asked…
Let me ask you, do you know anyone that smokes? Do you think that they know what that is doing to their lungs and their body? Of course they do, there is a ton of proof on what smoking does to a human body and it has been readily available. Ok, what about people you know that allow themselves to be abused, either by a significant other, a relative or a co-worker. Sometimes it is physically, sometimes it is mentally. My point is this, some people do not know how to treat themselves, they damage their bodies, they get into toxic relationships, they allow themselves to be mistreated. I would not want to be treated like that, so why would I tell them “treat people the way you want to be treated?” Now some will say “But the saying is treat them the way you WANT to be treated” not “how you allow yourself to be treated.” And I still call BS! When you love yourself, the Golden Rule may work, but I would venture to say, many people don’t know how to treat themselves.
I would say that it should be revised to say “Treat people the way that makes them feel loved, respected and heard!”