Joakim, I used to apply the golden rule to personal relationships based on how I wanted to be treated but it turned out others didn't like long silences and being left alone (used to hate having people say hi to me because I didn't want to get into a conversation and I hate small talk "Oh, please tell me about the weather again, please", was the sarcastic thought I couldn't help thinking). Others did not see it as I did which was I was being considerate of their time and space, they just thought I was a rude and arrogant ass. Which, while true, was not the effect I was going for.

And Tom:

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble

When you're perfect in every way

It's so hard to look in the mirror

I get better looking each day

To know me is to love me

I must be a hell of a man

Oh, lord it's hard to be humble

But I'm doing the best that I can

Steve -- how sad is it that I sang it in my head along with reading it?

Now, THOSE are some good lyrics!!!!  (That's not Tim Rice, is it?)

A brand new day...a clean slate...another chance to try and be the best man I can be.

Don -- something I can definitely agree with! (A reference from a post yesterday!)

Steve wrote:
"Joakim, I used to apply the golden rule to personal relationships based on how I wanted to be treated but it turned out others didn't like long silences and being left alone (used to hate having people say hi to me because I didn't want to get into a conversation and I hate small talk 'Oh, please tell me about the weather again, please', was the sarcastic thought I couldn't help thinking). Others did not see it as I did which was I was being considerate of their time and space, they just thought I was a rude and arrogant ass. Which, while true, was not the effect I was going for."

Precisely my point. While the Rule certainly sounds good at surface level, it starts off on the slightly flawed premise that we all want to be treated in the same manner. Now if we ONLY look at it at a most general and slightly superficial level, we could probably agree that most if if not all people would want to be treated with a modicum of respect, so that much I think would be a fair beginning... but anything beyond that is open to preferences of both cultural and personal nature.

That said, keeping an open mind and listening to people doesn't necessarily mean we HAVE to treat them exactly as THEY want down to the letter (case in point, if somebody wanted me whom I had no particular attraction to, it's not as if I'd have to put out out of courtesy), but it's fair enough to weigh in their p.o.v. against your own, before making any type of stand.
(Basically it all comes down to the realistic principle that all points of view cannot be given everything since some contradict one another. Something a lot discussions on democracy fails to properly take into account. Yes, we should have an open mind, but that certainly doesn't mean that ALL p.o.v. are equally worthy of respect. The old democratic adage that we can disagree with each other while respecting each other's views work well as long as those views are either close enough to each other or not entirely opposed in matters where the opposition doesn't really allow for a middleground. A very clear cut example would of course be Hitler's well known opinion that all the Jews of Europe ought to be exterminated; a view which I think (and sincerely hope) most of us agree deserves neither respect (dissenting or otherwise) nor anything but full opposition. Forceful if necessary.)

Tom wrote:
"Now, THOSE are some good lyrics!!!!  (That's not Tim Rice, is it?)"

It would've been highly amusing if they'd been. Nice platter of crow for Mr French. ;)

LOL

Thanks, Don.  I needed that one.

Although I think you'd agree that any skank jumping your bones at the drop of a hat wouldn't necessarily deserve the same courtesy. Or am I wrong?