Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. Matt. 7:12 kjv.

Recently our nation has been shaken by continued heinous mass shootings which have claimed so many innocent lives and caused grief and sadness in the lives of many families. Moreover, even though waves of gun violence have seemingly escalated in cities as well as small town USA, I believe there is another matter that should be gravely concerning in addition to outright traditional crimes that weighs heavily in the scheme of our daily living. That concern is, that peoples’ interaction and treatment of others in general has seemingly declined significantly. It seems that disrespect and incivility have openly raised its ugly heads and has taken a front row seat in the public domain. It seems that far too many people treat others quite the opposite of how they would want to be treated. That is, human behavior in general and how one meets life and interacts with others from a general perspective has lowered its standard. Through the years there has been a general expectation of decency and civility of human beings in general interacting with one another from a Christian perspective. If there is one of the many noted passages of the holy bible that people are aware of, I think it would be the “golden rule” which sets the stage for our daily living and interacting with others.

As Jesus concluded his sermon on the plains, he taught many lessons and one that resonates in universal language is this idea of human dignity, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The essence of that passage is not just to subscribe to dignity but rather in the manner as one would want to receive the same accordingly. This causes one to maybe look at the dignity of themselves as well as others. However, it seems in our age of technological advances, high powered rhetoric and interactions of those on the world’s big stage to the smallest pockets of human interaction in the local marketplace, the essence of the golden rule has somehow been embedded and over shadowed by the demons of disrespect and incivility.

Sadly, public examples can be found in almost any local and certain for sure national news outlets. It is so disheartening to have to listen to news of interest and to be subjected to the incivility of the actors involved in the matter of interest. Moreover, and closer to home is the ordinary marketplace and places in which people generally find themselves in everyday goings and comings. A bright smile and an enthusiastic greeting would sure help the “golden rule” to take a stand.

Rev. Dr. James Taylor III is the pastor of the Jericho Baptist Church in Farmville. His email address is: jht3@verizon.net.