Ethic of Reciprocity
The Values.com quote of the day today is a great quote that speaks directly to being a Gentleman:
It's basically a longer, spelled out, version of The Golden Rule - the Ethic of Reciprocity - which is present in nearly all world religions and philosophies, a great article on this can be found here.
To be a gentleman, this should be applied in all actions. I am reminded of a commercial where one person does something good, another sees them and does something good for someone else and the chain continues. The 'pay it forward' concept is related to this. Hold door for someone with full arms, next time you are in the same situation as them hopefully someone will do it for you, in a queue at a traffic light and someone needs to cross over - leave space for them (do not block intersection), etc.
It is important to remember or note that the reverse of course is also a good rule - do NOT do to others what you do NOT want them to do to you, or, according to Buddhist thought: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
“If you want trust, trust others. If you want respect, respect others. If you want help, help others. If you want love and peace in your life, give them away. If you want great friends, be one. That’s how it works. ”
- Dan Zadra - Businessman, inspirational writer
- Dan Zadra - Businessman, inspirational writer
It's basically a longer, spelled out, version of The Golden Rule - the Ethic of Reciprocity - which is present in nearly all world religions and philosophies, a great article on this can be found here.
On a side note, I am not a religious person mostly because I am against the arrogance that any one concept is the absolute correct one (not to mention the strife and wars associated just to religions - but I digress), but the quote used to start this article is pretty neat: "God has made different religions to suit different aspirations, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God Himself..." (Ramakrishna)
To be a gentleman, this should be applied in all actions. I am reminded of a commercial where one person does something good, another sees them and does something good for someone else and the chain continues. The 'pay it forward' concept is related to this. Hold door for someone with full arms, next time you are in the same situation as them hopefully someone will do it for you, in a queue at a traffic light and someone needs to cross over - leave space for them (do not block intersection), etc.
It is important to remember or note that the reverse of course is also a good rule - do NOT do to others what you do NOT want them to do to you, or, according to Buddhist thought: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
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