When I was little, I was taught 'The Golden Rule.' When I had children, I taught them the same rule. It comes from many religions and many a philosopher. Isocrates, a Greek philosopher put it simply "Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others." (Isocrates, Nicocles".6) A few religions that use this 'rule' include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Jainism.and many more. In 1993 the Parliament of World Religions "proclaimed the Golden Rule as the common principle for many religions." (Wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity). Treat others as you'd like to be treated is the positive part of the Golden Rule. The negative version goes more like: I am the King of the Mountain so we play by my rules or not at all.
Naturally, I prefer the positive version and have lived and taught this for more than half a century. I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, Green or Independent as well. Sometimes I am liberal or moderate or conservative. I think many of us don't always fit into a party one hundred percent and take a little from each. But. at the moment I am disappointed, disgusted and angry at everyone involved in the Presidential Campaign, including the supporters known as *Stars.*
Now why would I let these emotions come to the surface now instead of letting them just roll off my back, so to speak? Because I have had to listen to mean-spirited garbage spew out of the mouths of candidates, their *Star* supporters, and journalists.
Let's start with the journalists, or the media, shall we? I would like to see just one of them actually do a story that is totally fact. I don't want their opinion, their viewpoint, (They can get their own personal blog for that.) just the facts please. If you want to give your own opinion, then write an op-ed rather than a news story. Are any of you even capable of doing that? If you have your own show, you can say whatever you wish. If I don't like what you say or do, I won't watch you and there go some of your ratings. That becomes your problem.
Now with the Democraps, the Repugnicans, and the Independent ignoramouses, which includes all the other parties, if you cannot talk about actual policies which you have think-tanked with experts on, then don't say anything. Maybe I don't speak for all Americans, but I do for a great many of my friends, business partners, and more, but, PLEASE don't keep name calling, putting down the present president, or lying. Don't say one thing in one state and another thing somewhere else. Don't let your staff, or *Star* supporters say things like wishing bad things upon the president or nasty things about someone's baby, Jon Stewart, or degrading a woman like Matt Damon did. Let's be honest here, everything that the Democrats have blamed on President Bush is really their fault. Read the Constitution. There you will find the answer. Are the Republicans any worse? Well, they have crossed lines to compromise. Look at the Carter and Clinton administrations. Do they all have good ideas? No! Do the Democrats have all the bad ones? NO! And let's not go into corruption, there's plenty in both parties.
Why do you think the dollar has fallen so low? Why do other countries no longer trust in us? Look at what they see in television, YOUTUBE, and in the papers about our leadership and I am not talking about President Bush. I am talking about all of Congress, *Stars* who go overseas and belittle our country, Dixie Chicks, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Pamela Anderson, to name a few. Oh, I can't forget our own Speaker, her majesty Nancy. This is what is shameful. Go back to the positive Golden Rule or don't say anything at all. Remember we have the best country of all.
As for the rest of us who have been watching this presidential campaign for four years, (Yes, HillaryClinton started her campaign back then), put a pad of paper somewhere you always have access to it, divide into two columns. Write Republicans over one column and Democrats on the other. Each time you hear anyone on either side make a mean-spirited (coined during Clintonian times) comment about the other side, or some's state, or children, put a mark in the appropriate column. Then before you cast your ballot, remember, the Golden Rule taught manners, and through manners and mannerisms you can judge character. If your candidate shows you he is of good moral values by his or her behavior, then analyze their policies which should include full information of the how,what, where, when and why. Judge their actions not their intentions. Don't go by what they say and can't prove. Show us the business plan. And when they do, count up your columns and the business plans, Then VOTE! Remember, whichever candidate wins, they must gain the support of Congress as well. And that's another review for another day.
Watch for Feminism and what it is now and how it's changed in the last thirty or so years in my next blog.
Have a good one.