Golden Rules, Terrible People and Repayment

The Golden Rule is bullshit. You should never do unto others as you'd have them do to you. Always overcompensate. Face the fact that the majority of the people that you meet will disappoint and let down, they will be narcissistic, self-destructive and oblivious. They will tell you what you want to hear and then tell the world everything you'd hate for them to. The majority of us are flawed terrible people.

If you want a rule to go by that will always lead you to the moral high ground, try this- "Treat these assholes better than they'd ever even dream of treating you." It means that at least initially, at least to begin with, go out of your way to not expect that every smile will be returned. It means attempting to put aside your own flawed terrible state long enough to give the benefit of the doubt where it might not be deserved, the support that wasn't asked for or the forgiveness that wasn't warranted. Treating someone as you'd like to be treated is like giving someone a birthday present with a note attached listing your own birthday and desired gift. It's a constant exchange of Kindness that's really just an inefficient way of getting someone else to give you what you could've just given yourself. Whether it's validation, or love, or a pony.

If you want to do good then do good, but do it with the knowledge that realistically, the majority of the people you do it to will not be willing, or able or interested in repaying that goodness. And realize, that no matter how much good you do, you aren't necessarily a good person either. You likely received a lot of treatment that you did not repay in kind. Whether from ignorance or apathy or obliviousness. We rarely do, cause we're just flawed terrible people when it comes down to it.

So shoot for something higher than expectations. At least the realistic ones.