Vigilance

We all know that we need to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. We hear this expressed quite often in many cultures and faith traditions. So when we hear these words, we nod our heads in agreement and think of course, we should do this. It's so obvious.

But the minute we stop focusing on the words, we forget! So quickly the awareness fades as we are pulled back into everyday concerns. When we encounter someone who treats us unfairly or who simply doesn't seem to acknowledge our existence, we so easily slip back into selfishness. We forget that we had just heard that we should treat the other person as we wish to be treated.

So in our forgetfullness, we will make a thoughtless remark to them, or about them, and inadvertently pollute our mind and the minds of those with us. Forgetting that we do not want others injecting their unkind words into our peaceful thoughts, we will carelessly intrude on the peaceful thoughts of others.

We need instead to be vigilant, to be focused on our goal of helping—not harming—others.