Do Unto Delusions

It never ceases to amaze me how someone can turn so far from treating other people the way they want to be treated.

Forget the Golden Rule. Forget religion. Forget spirituality. Forget karma.

This has nothing to do with any of those things.

This is about having some sense of dignity. This is about having the smallest ounce of compassion. This is about not being a hypocrite.

That's not to say it's always easy to do. It's doesn't take a lot of effort to be a pig and there are many ways to justify yourself right out of the truth.

"Well, he didn't treat me the way he would want to be treated."
...So you stooped to his level? Two wrongs don't make a right.

"Well, we have to protect ourselves. We're in the middle of a war."
...We can protect ourselves without fighting fire with fire. Shields and swords are two very different things. Find better armor.

"Well, he'll never know if I do this behind his back."
...Him finding out is not the issue. The fact remains, you've performed an act of hate on that person that you wouldn't want them doing to you.

"I care about my lover and don't want to hurt him, so I can't tell him about the affair I'm having."
...As opposed to not having the affair in the first place.

There are so many ways to validate acts of hatred to ourselves.

Am I still amazed by this? Yes, and thank God I am and have been able to maintain some semblance of innocence. I hope I'm always amazed by it.

Am I depressed by it? Absolutely not. Because I know that for as many people out there who operate on this level, there's just as many people out there who don't. There's a lot of good, honest people out there if you're willing to look for them and I am so thankful to have so many of them in my life.

It's not my place to judge or change people who operate on that level because maybe that's the road they have to travel in order to get to another one. I had to be on that road for a while myself. But it sure as hell is not my highway to heaven these days.


What I've been faced with lately is the question of can someone on those two very different paths actually meet at a crossroads for a friendship? Well, no unfortunately, not if your definition of friendship includes treating someone the way you would want to be treated! This doesn't mean you have to wish that person any ill will. You'd just better be on the "Look Out" when you meet them at a four-way stop.

It's like Elton says in our song of the week, "Honky Cat": "It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine. It's like trying to brew whiskey from a bottle of wine."