Why is it that we hold a standard for others and yet we fail to hold ourselves to it? This question crosses my mind daily when I see people doing things, acting in ways, or saying something they would attack if done by someone else. The whole do unto others philosophy goes right out the window. While I am not innocent of these situations or occurrences, I certainly try to learn from and improve upon the experiences.
My desire is to figure out a way to communicate these double standards to others when I see them in a positive way. Is it best to be blunt and call a spade a spade or should we take the approach of asking questions that will shine a light on the double standard. I have to assume it is not going to be a one size fits all approach, but I do think it is important to expose and educate when you notice a double standard taking place.
A few of the major ones I see daily would include:
- How we drive – tailgate others. Do we want people to drive like that behind us? I doubt it.
- The way we speak to one another.
- Expecting people to drop what they are doing when want their attention.
The list could go on forever. I will be doing my part to notice when I am failing and work to correct it, be more aware. Also, to share with others when I notice it in them. If we all make an effort we can make life much more enjoyable and limit the expectations not being met. I guess like most problems, communication is at the root. An obvious solution is to lower expectations, but I rather work towards lifting others up to the expectation.
HearUsJesus 