We're taught so many things when we're little. Before our brains were taken completely over by lyrics to songs we don't even like and the little geometry that we still remember and names and faces of friends we had, we knew things. And somewhere along the time line of our lives we forgot everything we knew to be true when we were six.
We forget to remember "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all." Instead we talk-- we gossip, we lie, and we say what we believe to be fact with a malicious convinction that, left unsaid, could have saved someone. We intentionally hit people right where it hurts, and once we've created a visible bruise, we find something new to talk about. We're on to the next, and we don't always even realize we've done it. Worse, when we do realize, we don't apologize because that shows a weakness we all like to pretend we don't have.
We ignore the golden rule. Surely the kids that filmed their Rudgers university school mate didn't consider "do unto your neighbor as you want him to do unto you" before exposing his sexuality through a sex video all over the internet. If they had, maybe they would have considered the consequences. Maybe they'd have posted it anyway, but I like to hope that if someone, anyone, had reminded them of the golden rule they'd have stopped. Now, suicide after suicide confirms that we don't consider the consequences of our words and actions and we don't do unto others as they should do unto us.
We've forgotten to walk the metaphorical mile in someone's shoes before we insult. We forgot that "everyone is special," and when we finally remembered it we attached a negative connotation to "special." what we once considered comforting began to reaffirm our negativity. Unique has become synonymous with evil, or bad. And so has different. Eventually, we have to grow out of this stage we've settled into where anyone that isn't like us is against us.
I can remember when the life lessons taught to me by my parents were something I held as universal truths. We can't allow ourselves to outgrow morality like we outgrew our beanie babies. What this world needs right now is a few more six year olds.
ps HAYYYY CAROLINE WATKINS
