A couple weeks ago when I was at the Abraham-Hicks seminar in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the things Abraham said that really stuck out to me was this:

“You can never feel bad enough to make someone who feels bad feel better.”

Abraham went on to explain that putting yourself in a state of misery does not help someone reach a state of joy.

When tragedies happen, it is very normal to feel sad for the victims and angry at the perpetrators. When tragedy happens, it is very normal to feel powerless and want to instigate actions to prevent tragedy from happening again. It’s normal to want to make sense of the tragedy, to understand why, to point the finger, to place blame, to do whatever is in your power to make sure it never happens again.

Your heart goes out to the victims and their families. All very normal.

But one of the most important things you can do when tragedy strikes is not to slip into a lower vibration like sadness and anger. Rather, one of the best things you can do for the world is to keep your vibration high.

I’m not suggesting you ignore what has happened. I’m not suggesting it’s not worth thinking about. But as Abraham said, you can never feel bad enough to make someone who feels bad feel better.

Keep your vibration high. Stay in the place of gratitude, compassion, love and joy. That’s what shifts the world. Don’t let your light go out because tragedy has befallen others. Otherwise, the world succumbs to darkness.

It is during times of great moral tragedy and senseless loss of life that it becomes even more important for those who generate light to stand fast, to be a beacon for those whose light falters.

Otherwise you slip into despair and powerlessness and that doesn’t do anything for anyone.

As you go on about your life, live it from a place of light, to honor those who lost their own chance to shine. As you go on about your life, stay in a place of joy and love for everyone. And above all, be grateful for everything you are and everything you have.

If you are standing in the light, and beaconing love, extend your energy to those who are sad and lift them up. Help them rise again, or hold them until they can stand again on their own. But do not crumble beside them. They need your strength and your light.

I watched with total abject horror as Reginald Denny, a white man in the wrong intersection at the wrong time, was violently pulled from his truck and beaten almost to death by rioters. I remember actually covering my mouth and screaming “No, stop it! Leave him alone” to the screen, as if somehow my voice could carry through the airwaves and make those men stop beating that innocent man.

I watched as the news choppers and reporters used their voices to try to get the rioters to move away. But they were ineffective.

The riots had begun.

My entire family sat glued to the television screen. We lived far enough away from the rioting that we didn’t fear for ourselves; most of the rioting was happening in the inner cities. Fires, looting, and violence continued on into the night and then kept going the next day. It was really horrible. So many people were getting hurt.

The second day of the riots dawned. I needed to be at my job at 1pm. My mom told me not to go. She was afraid I would be pulled out of my car and killed, raped, or robbed. Although there had been a few minor reports that looting and rioting had extended to the San Fernando Valley, where we lived, I really thought the odds of me encountering danger were minimal. And I had a plan. If anyone approached me, I’d gun my motor and drive away real fast. My mom was not pleased, but I left for work anyway, hyper-vigilant and on guard.

I made it to work. At the time I was working on the second floor in an office above Radio Shack. I worked for an assessment center and our job was to test people who had been injured on the job or who were on welfare to see what capabilities and job skills they had so they could go back into the work force.

I’ll take a moment to tell you that my office co-workers consisted of two white people, two Asians, and one Hispanic gal. The rest of our office was filled with our clients for the week which were about 25 African Americans, 5 Hispanics, and 2 Caucasians. I point this out because the moment I walked into my office the racial tension was so strong you could practically taste it. What had once been a jovial, collaborative atmosphere was now almost deathly silent.

Everyone was on guard. What would happen? I don’t mind telling you that I was a little nervous.

Before long, we heard a huge commotion downstairs. And glass breaking. A lot of glass. My boss left the office to see what was going on. He was only gone a couple of minutes when he came rushing back into the office, breathless and said, “Huge gang of black guys downstairs, they’re looting the Radio Shack. Broke all the windows. Quick, we need to secure the office.”

For a moment no one moved. I can tell you that I was so scared I could barely breathe. My mom’s fears all hit me at once. After they looted the shop, would they come upstairs and beat and rape us?

We closed and locked all the doors. Our offices were on the inner part of the corridor so we had no windows, just doors. A bunch of the guys moved cabinets in front of the doors so that if they broke in they’d have to push down the heavy cabinets to get to us.

After we were secured in our lockdown situation, we all sat down in the middle of the room. And then we looked around at each other and realized we were a huge mix of ethnicities. What would happen? Would people take sides? Would the African American males attack us as a show of solidarity with their brothers downstairs? Would people start fighting?

The room was deathly quiet. No one was talking, but everyone was thinking the same thing. Would rioting start INSIDE the office?

After long minutes of total silence, one of our Hispanic clients said, “I could sure use a sandwich!”

For a second, there was no reaction, and then everyone started laughing. Everyone. The tension was broken. Black men clapped the guy on the back and shook his hand.

And then my boss said, “Look everyone, obviously this is a highly charged situation, but just because the guys downstairs are acting foolish doesn’t mean any of us have to. I care about everyone in this room and I’m not going to let anything happen to anyone. We’re in this together and we’re going to survive this together too.”

One of the black men stood up and said, “Look, you all need to know that we are not like those guys downstairs. We don’t condone what they’re doing. And if anyone tried to break in here, we would defend your lives like our own.”

I remember feeling love pouring into the room as everyone’s energy merged in solidarity instead of fear. I calmed down. I felt safe.

It took about 30 minutes for the coast to be clear. As soon as the looters had left Radio Shack, we were escorted to our cars in large groups for protection, and sent home for the day. We didn’t come to work the next day, as my boss decided we were closed until the rioting was officially over.

The L.A riots were very upsetting to me. I really dislike physical violence. I remember really feeling the power and energy of his plea when Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?” Why indeed!

In the aftermath a lot of things happened. Some good, some bad.

Over time there has been healing and understanding, and there’s also been friction and fear. We’re not quite there yet. Hopefully, we’ll find our way before having to endure another crisis like this.

My mom used to say to me, “We should all just make babies with each other. After a few generations you wouldn’t know who was what, and it wouldn’t matter anymore. We’d all be the same.” No labels, no differences, no colors. Just people.

It would be nice.

Answer: This is a great question and I’m glad you asked it.

While it may seem as if lightworkers are not engaging in social issues, the opposite is actually true. While everyone else is out there fighting, arguing, debating, pushing, warring, and creating conflict, a true lightworker knows that the way to change our planet is to hold the vibration of what we want: peace, love, compassion, kindness, gratitude, and joy. While everyone else is sinking down into the mud to fight about things, the lightworkers are cleverly keeping their vibration high.

And do you know what that does? It changes the world from within. One person at a time. That may seem slow, but it is the only way. And there are many lightworkers affecting many people. Oh you won’t hear about them on the news. “Today in the mall someone cast love at 80 people.” You only hear of the violence, “Today in the mall someone opened fire and killed 10 people.”

If lightworkers focus on the negative, if they allow themselves to become upset, angry or fearful, then the other side wins. The dark takes over. We cannot change our problems with the same thinking or actions that caused them. We must rise above. It may sound airy fairy to some, but that’s okay. For every man out there with a rifle and a vendetta, there are 10 lightworkers casting love at people in the mall, the grocery store, on a blog, at a conference, or a family event.

We are not turning a blind eye. Not remotely. We are well aware of the fear, greed, control, and anger. We are well aware of the needless deaths, the irresponsible acts, the horror and violence. We hold our light anyway. We are being in the world what we want to see in the world. We are speaking, not always with our voices, but with our vibration. We are keeping our candle lit, sheltered from the winds of violence snuffing it out.

And we are many and growing every day.

Can spirit guides interfere to such an extent that they can save lives? If so, why wasn’t everyone saved? Did saving people violate their free will?

Here is what I believe happened that day from the perspective of the other side.

This event was no accident. It’s not like, say, a car accident where someone was texting and ran into another car because someone wasn’t paying attention. In the case of an accident, a guide has precious little time to send a warning. Sometimes you get just enough of a nudge to avoid an accident, but guides can’t easily prevent an accident that they don’t know is coming.

But the attack on 9/11 was an orchestrated, planned, intentional event. That means that spirit guides knew and were aware of what was potentially coming. They would have known the intentions of the perpetrators, so they would have sprung into action. I can almost imagine a Spirit Guide Battalion Chief gathering his fellow guides and saying, “Look this is going to happen and we need to save as many people as possible, but we can’t save everyone. If your charge isn’t involved in the attack, help those with charges who are. There’s little time, so get moving, and work together.”

Spirit guides can nudge, urge, maneuver and manipulate situations to cause different outcomes than would otherwise be had with no intervention. So I believe thousands of spirit guides got to work to try to save as many people as they could by making them late to work. How would they do this? Alarm clocks wouldn’t go off on time. Subway doors would slam in someone’s face so they have to wait for another. People would get sudden unusual urges to go out late the night before and be too tired to get up in the morning. Someone’s kid would hurt their ankle and need to go to the doctor. Another person may have run into an old friend while walking in to work and stopped for a chat. The line at Starbucks could have been even longer that morning. It could be anything. The guides would have done whatever they could to cause their charge to be anywhere but in his workplace on time. They have the capability of putting ideas in your head, or in the heads of other people who could interfere with your plans.

How about the ones that went to work anyway and got there on time? Were they fated to die? Did their guides just leave them to their own devices?

I don’t believe anyone was fated or meant to die. The terrorists premeditated their attack, which means they intended to sever the thread and cut short the lives of thousands of people. Some of those innocent people may have received an intuitive feeling but ignored it. Some may have used logic to override their intuition. Still others may have received an intuition not to go to work or to be late, but feared being fired so pushed themselves to make it to work on time. We can’t really ask any of them now.

Once the attack happened, I’m sure there were spirit guides trying to get help and rescue to their charges. And I’m sure there were some people there who on a soul level (not a conscious one) agreed to die in order to help others. Those are the heroes we’ve read about – the ones who stayed behind to get people out, and the rescuers and first responders who went in to risk their lives to help others.

These kinds of premeditated tragedies are not orchestrated by anyone on the other side, however they do provide opportunities for spiritual growth, individually and as a group. We saw people come together to help strangers. We saw compassion, unity, and teamwork. We saw connection and love. Everyone affected by the events of September 11, 2001 are now tied together. We’ve been given a mission; to remember that we are all connected, to show compassion, to work together as a team, and to love each other, not hate. So that they did not die in vain, let us remember this lesson … for the price we paid was high indeed.

I don’t normally blog about political and world affairs as I tend to be more focused on what individuals can do inside themselves to change the world as a whole. However, I am becoming increasingly troubled and alarmed at what I see happening in America, specifically with regards to security measures being taken by Homeland Security to “protect” America. While we are being protected from terrorists, who is protecting our personal freedom and our personal dignity?

We often joke about Big Brother, a reference to the George Orwell book, 1984. But really it’s no joke anymore. Ever since the 9/11 attack on America we have been moving steadily and inexorably towards a society that strips people of their personal freedoms in the name of personal safety. It started with having to take our shoes off at the airport. An inconvenience to be sure, but we were riding the wave of terror and taking your shoes off didn’t seem like too high a price to pay to ensure our safety. Then we weren’t allowed to bring liquids on an airplane, even if they were in a sealed container. So we invented the 6 ounce bottle to carry our hair spray, grumbled a bit, and moved on.

Today, as you no doubt have heard or even experienced, personal body scanners are now being employed to x-ray your body. People are also being taken aside and given a very intimate and thorough pat down by TSA employees. People feel violated and sexually assaulted. Is this where we are headed? In order to protect ourselves from terrorists we must violate and assault the innocent? Is this too high a price to pay for security?

I think we can agree that the vast majority of people in America are not terrorists, yet we are now treating every citizen that walks through an airport security station as if they are plotting potential terrorist action. Do I want a terrorist on MY plane? No. Is it worth assaulting, violating, and restricting our freedom to ensure that no terrorist gets on a plane with me? I say no. It’s gone too far. We have given our power to the ephemeral terrorist, the one that lurks in our minds, not our airports. We have given our power to fear.

September 11th was tragic. People lost their lives. It was a realization that we in America are not safe from terrorist attack. Outrage and fear prevailed. Homeland Security was created. And loss of personal freedom ensued. Someone is preying on our fear and stealing our liberty in the process. And the worst part is, we’re handing our power over on a silver platter. “Protect us!” “Save us!” “Don’t let them get us!” But what is the price? And are you willing to pay it? Do you see what it’s costing you?

And now something even more troubling is brewing. I saw the billboards go up all over Las Vegas recently. “See Something, Say Something.” There’s a big eye in between the phrase. Yes, Big Brother is watching. The eye in the sky is becoming more ubiquitous. I’m all in favor of reporting criminal activity, when I see it. I’ll be the first to call in the authorities when I see a crime in progress. But now we are being asked to report suspicious activity, not criminal activity. Can the average person discern terrorist activities while out shopping in the mall?

We’re about to recreate the witch hunts. “His skin is dark and he’s carrying a briefcase. I should report him.” “There’s a bulge in his pocket, he might be carrying a gun. I’d better call someone.” “He’s traveling alone and won’t make eye contact with anyone. I’d better have him checked out.” Better to be safe than sorry. So what if innocent people are detained, interrogated, imprisoned, or investigated? We must protect ourselves!

If the goal of terrorists is to get us to live in fear, they have succeeded. If we are being asked to expend our energy looking for bad guys on the ridiculously off chance we’ll actually find one, then the terrorists have won. Fear controls us. We are ruled by suspicion and fear.

What’s next? Cameras in our home? Microchips in our bodies? Mandated by the government to “protect us?” Are we not asking our government to protect us? Aren’t they only doing what we ask?

How can we stop it? We ask for something else. Let us revolt, not with violence, but with love. Let us take back our freedom and liberty by placing a higher value on love than fear.

It begins inside each one of us. Instead of seeds of doubt and suspicion, sow the seeds of love. See the good in others. Support, love and care for your neighbors. Choose abundance over scarcity. Compassion over greed. Justice over profit. Begin to create a world around you that revolves around love, trust, and faith in your fellow man. Infect people with joy and gratitude. Contribute instead of taking. Just do not let your liberty and freedom be taken right out from under you. If we are to prevail, we must awaken to the agenda of those who seek to control us through fear, whether that be terrorists or our own government.

But are we really in rough shape or do we just think we are?

I think most of us are aware that bad news sells better than good news. I think we’re also aware that hype sells better than simple truth. People don’t seem to want to read about people’s fortunes, but their misfortunes. So if all we’re being exposed to is the bad news in the world, obviously we’re going to draw the conclusion that the world is in trouble and sliding in to the pit of despair. But is it?

So let’s look around see what’s really happening. What’s going on around you personally? Who are the people around you? What do you see?

When I look around me I see a lot of lightworkers, people who care about humanity and are doing what they can to help. I see people who are generous with their time and friendship. I see people rescuing animals, caring for small children who are sick, and giving the homeless man some money. I see good neighbors who look after other people’s children playing on the street. I see people who meditate, raising their vibration, so they can pass their good cheer on to others. I see people telling the truth, living with integrity and honesty, and paying their taxes even when there are other things they’d like to do with their money. I see people excited to be in a new relationship. I see people studying together, learning and growing together, and passing on their wisdom to their fellow man.

I see good people. Honest, caring, compassionate people.

People don’t want more war, crime, disease, poverty, injustice. The people I know want peace, love, and justice. They’d rather see everyone get what they need than only hoard supplies for themselves. Is that just the people I hang out with? Or is it most people?

Think about the people in your daily life, the ones you interact with the most. Are these good people or evil people? Are they frightened, living in fear? Are they expressing a desire to see war, crime, poverty, and disease continue or are they just trying to make it in this world?

I think that as long as people desire love, peace, and justice then we can achieve it. It’s when people stop caring about these things that we’re truly sunk. As long as there are people out there who care about the well being of the planet, we can make it. We can shift the planet back to love. We can swing the pendulum to peace.

The news might be full of what’s wrong in the world, but it’s up to us to see what’s right in the world. And we see that by looking into the hearts of our fellow man. When I stop seeing love, I’ll know we’re in trouble. Right now, I see love. What do you see? What’s in your own heart?

Be in the world what you want to see in the world. When we are, we become. When the people of the world are love, are peace, we will have love and peace in the world. Do not despair. The light is in your heart and no one can extinguish it unless you let them. Do not fear. There is yet hope.

The state of our world cannot be gauged by what you see on the news, but by what you see in the hearts of men and women the world over. That is what prevails.

Is evil winning? I don’t think so. Not as long as there is love in the hearts of humanity. Hang on to love.

My higher self came to me in a dream last night.  She handed me a box filled with puzzle pieces and told me to put all the pieces together.  So I got busy working on that.  The pieces were in the shape of North American states and territories so I was able to know roughly how to put them together.  As I got close to finishing I said to her, “Oh I get it.  I see what’s happening here.”  She said, “No you’re not done.  Put all the pieces in place.  All you’re seeing is the small pictures on each piece and you’re assuming much.” 

So I kept going until every single piece was in place and then stepped back to see the big picture and was amazed by what I saw.  I understood it all so clearly.  The pieces lost their borders and all I saw was one big picture.  She said, “The details are important.  Every piece carries its own impact on the whole of the puzzle.  Every piece must be in the right place in order for you to see the big picture.”  I said, “This is awesome.  I can’t believe what I’m seeing here.  I’ve got to share this with everyone.”  She said, “No, this was only for you.  It’s part of your job to get all the pieces where they belong so that the big picture is revealed to everyone.”  I was feeling a little disappointed as it all seemed so easy. I just wanted to show everyone the big picture.  I knew they would all understand if they could just see what I was seeing.  She said, “Everyone needs to be a part of this puzzle.  Every piece must understand how integral it is to the Whole.  Everyone on Earth needs to understand how they fit into the big picture.” 

Reluctantly, I took apart the puzzle and put all the pieces back in the box.  I heard something jingling at the bottom of the box and pulled out a key ring with four keys on it.  She said, “Those are your tools.  You are to awaken people to their unique contribution to the puzzle.  You must help people understand how important they are to the Whole, that no piece is any greater than another, that everyone has a reason for being here.” 

So then I started asking questions about people I personally knew and asking what purpose they served in the Whole.  She gave me some specific answers.  I asked her how I was to go about doing all of this.  She said, “Keep doing what you’re doing.  Appreciate what you can do and your own unique contribution to the Whole.  The piece of the puzzle that is You is complete and whole; you need only share it with the world.”  She showed me images of myself doing a workshop.  It felt like I was teaching.

She said, “People cannot see the big picture when they try to be something they are not, when what they share with others is not their true self, when fear and fear of judgment cause people to alter their frequency and project something other than what they truly are.  This does not serve to show people the Whole.  It fragments the puzzle when a piece wears a mask hiding its true identity.  When this happens, the picture is fuzzy, muddled, and inaccurate and people react to the Whole with an inaccurate understanding of its true nature.  Remind people of their unique contribution to the Whole, help them find the courage to be who they truly are, and reconnect them with Love.”

The last thing she said to me was, “When you realize that all that is required of you is to be yourself, you will find your life flows easily and steadily.  You will merge with the Whole, and your place in the big picture will be revealed.  Do not try to be another piece. You are who you are for a very specific reason. Embrace it, use your talent and skill, and show people the unique contribution you make to the Whole.”

When I woke from this dream I immediately came to my computer to write it down so I wouldn’t forget it.  It was a powerful dream for me.  I felt humbled, charged, and hopeful for humanity.  Let’s get busy putting this puzzle together, people!  Show the world your piece!

So I asked my daughter, who is 9, “Emily, who should be president?”  She said, without hesitation, “Barack Obama.”  I asked her why he should be president and she said, “Because he’s going to buy equipment for our playground.  He’s going to buy more swings.  And because a lot of other people chose him, so he must be good.  And also, I think he’s kinda cute.”  Intriguing.  So I said, “What about John McCain?”  She crinkled her nose at me and said, “He’s old.  He’s not as handsome as Barack Obama.” 

“So the cuter guy should be president, and the president should buy your school more playground equipment.  Do I have that right?”  To which she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Yeah, why not?”

This conversation immediately brought to my mind an experience I had when Jimmy Carter was running against Gerald Ford, who was the incumbent president at the time.  I was in grade school and my teacher wanted to give us a lesson in civics.  She went to great trouble to tell all of her students what each candidate stood for.  And she let us know that Gerald Ford was already the incumbent president.  Then she sent us all into the coat room to cast our vote, privately.

When the results were tallied it was 26 in favor of Ford, and only 3 in favor of Jimmy Carter.  I voted for Jimmy Carter.  She asked random people why they voted the way they did.  The Ford voters all said variations on the same thing, “Ford is already president.  He knows what he’s doing.  Why change at all?”  When she asked me, I was a little nervous since I’d gone against the tide, but I said, “I just think everyone should have a chance to be president.  Maybe this guy can do a better job.”  People turned on me and I never knew why.  I thought my reason was sound. 

So here we are today, a historical day, a day when America will change, one way or the other.  We’re either going to have a female vice president or an African American male as president.  Change is good.  I like giving new people a shot at making a difference in our country.  I think that no matter who is elected, the country is going to go through a shift.  Because we want one, because we need one, and so we will attract this shift. 

I asked my son, age 5, who should be president.  He said, “I vote for the Hulk.  He likes to smash things.”  Uh, so does our current president, apparently.   Then he said, “I want the Hulk to be our president because he’s a hero.”  Intriguing.  So I asked him, “So you think a hero should be president of our country,” to which he replied, “Well you wouldn’t want a bad guy to be president would you?”

No.  No indeed.

We could use a hero.

People ask me if the world is going to end as punishment for how we behave.  Have you been to planet Earth?  This is punishment.   The world ending would be a blessing.  That would mean we got it right.  I told someone recently that if you wake up one morning and there is no more war, famine, or poverty and the world is in a state of love, peace and harmony, then you should worry about the world ending.  Experiment done.  Mission accomplished.  Until then, uh no, we’re not getting off that easy.

Do I think the world is going to end in 2012?  No.  Could it end in 2012?  Sure.  Anything’s possible.  I wouldn’t worry about it though.  If it’s going to end in some cataclysm there isn’t much you can do about it now.  If some government decides to blow up the world, oh well, back to the ether we go, hand in hand, singing Kumbaya, in perfect harmony no less.

Put your focus on today.  Put your focus on what we can do right now about what’s happening with ourselves and the rest of planet Earth.  God doesn’t save you, you save yourself.  Be at peace.  Be kind to others.  Love.  Help.  Care.  Right now.

I’ve actually had people tell me they are so excited about the world ending in 2012 because then they’ll finally be able to “quit” their job.  Uh, if you’re waiting for the world to end so you can quit your miserable job, might I suggest you quit now?  And when has the world actually ended when it was supposed to?  Isn’t this the bazillionth prophecy about when the world is going to end?  Someone is making fools of us, methinks.  And methinks some people are getting rich off the whole thing too.

If I do get a memo, I’ll let you guys know.  My guides look at me with great amusement when I ask about 2012.  They think it’s a great way to whip people into shape.  Repent now sinners!   And when 2012 comes around and nothing bad happens to us?  Someone will find the lost Incan calendar that ends in 2064 and we’ll have another 52 years to get it right.  But you may as well start working on it now.

“The Golden Rule,” she explained, “means that you treat other people the way you want to be treated.  So if you want people to be nice to you, you must be nice to them.  If you want people to be your friends you must be friendly to them.  And if you treat people unkindly you are telling them that you expect to be treated unkindly in return.  If you don’t want people to be mean to you, stop being mean to them.”  Cool.  Got it.  Makes sense.  I can do that.  It’s all about being fair.  If I steal from someone I am telling them that I expect and am okay with them stealing from me.  After all, if I am not okay with that, why would I do it to them?  I tucked the Golden Rule into my heart and went on about my life, treating others with kindness, fairness, civility, and love because that’s how I wanted to be treated.

The Golden Rule worked pretty well in fourth grade.  Anytime a kid was the slightest bit mean to me I reminded them of the Golden Rule and they changed their behavior.  And anytime I even thought about being mean to another kid I asked myself if that’s how I would want to be treated.  It was a great check and balance system.  I always checked my behavior to make sure it was in alignment with how I wanted to be treated.  Sure I made mistakes here and there but for the most part I did pretty well with the Golden Rule and I was very happy to have such a clear cut way of behaving that felt good to me.

Then came high school.  Clearly some of these people had not had the benefit of being in Mrs. Cameron’s classroom because this is where I started seeing some of the worst behavior I’d ever seen.  I recall one day while waiting with a hundred kids to get into school that a guy turned to me, that I did not know, and said “I’m going to kick your ass after school you f***ing Jew.”  I turned around to see who he was talking to but he pointed to me and said, “I’m talking to you, b*tch.  I’m going to kick your ass.”  I had no idea who this guy was but apparently he knew all he needed to know about me.  I was frightened the entire day and made sure all of my male friends were with me after school to take me to my car.  I steered clear of that guy the rest of the school year, living in fear that he would remember his threat against me and one day make good on it.  There were the cliques, periodic and seemingly random sexual assaults, and fights that broke out over who got to sit where in the cafeteria.  It was chaotic, violent, and scary to be in my high school.  I kept my head down and tried to learn, but I lived in constant fear of the next random act of violence (physical, emotional, sexual, etc.).

I survived high school and went to college where I also enjoyed random acts of violence and sexual assault but this time committed by so-called “adults.”  A little freedom and independence can do wonders for your morality.

But even in high school and college things were tame compared to what I see in the world today.

It’s very easy to lose your faith in the Golden Rule when other people around you are breaking it all the time.  After all, why should you be nice, kind and loving when other people are taking advantage of you, stealing, getting away with murder, committing violence, and lying; especially when some of these people are your world leaders or clergymen?

Because I live very closely aligned with the Golden Rule I don’t understand things like guns, bombs, and war.  I know I don’t want anyone to shoot me, bomb me, or invade my homeland so I can’t fathom doing it to anyone else. 

Before I take any action towards someone else I always ask myself if what I’m about to do is something I would want done to me.  If the answer is no, I find another way to express myself.  I’m not perfect by any means, but I am usually aware when I’m breaking the Golden Rule and spend some time thinking about how to improve.

I am greatly pained when I see adults violating the basic rules of decency that we try to teach our children. 

Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone followed the Golden Rule?  I think about this a lot.  There would be no need for prisons, there would be no war.  Decency and civility would be the order of the day, not back stabbing, violence, and deceit.  People would be more fair, just, merciful, and compassionate.  And there would be a lot more love in the world by far.

Do you believe in the Golden Rule?  Do you follow its tenet?  When other people mistreat you do you assume they are asking to be treated the same way, and if so do you comply by getting revenge on them and violating your own honor?  Even when other people mistreat me I still feel bound to adhere to the Golden Rule even if they aren’t.  Someone’s got to set the example.  Especially for our children and the future of our world.

I am so grateful to Mrs. Cameron for posting the Golden Rule in my fourth-grade classroom.  That was possibly the most important lesson I learned that entire year…