Customer Reviews

Simple courtesies (Simpler Life)

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Janet Gallant has put together a whole book on the theme of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Her short chapters deal with practical applications of the Golden Rule in situations at work, at home, at school, and in our daily lives. The lessons apply to young people, old people and those in between.

"Treat your siblings as you would like them to treat you," is one example from the section of family life. Another: "Treat your parents as you hope your children will one day treat you."

At work, "Be the kind of supervisor you want to have," she suggests. And, "Work as you would like others to."

Other examples include:

"Be the kind of customer you would like to deal with....Drive the way you want others to drive...Be the good sport you would like your opponents to be...Be the kind of host you would like to visit....Treat people in mourning the way you want to be treated."!

Each principle is followed by a page of practical suggestions for how to put it into action.

Some version of what we know as the Golden Rule exists in most religions. It is as good a rule for human behavior as anyone has ever come up with, and the world would be a much better place if each of us could learn to put it into practice in all that we do.

"We have committed the Gold Rule to memory," said Edwin Markham. "Let us now commit it to life."

Jane Gallant's excellent, approachable book shows how we can do just that. It would be an appropriate gift to anyone, but especially to young people.

Janet Gallant's Simple Courtesies delivers a significant message in a very effective way - every aspect of our lives and all areas of public life can be improved by acting as we would like others to act. This book proves its point with a wealth of timely examples and demonstrates the constant, definitive relevance of the golden rule to daily existence. This is a book to buy for the people you love, as well as for the people you wish you could love more.

When I first started reading this, I thought it was rather simplistic. Do people really need to be told these things?
* don't monopolize conversations
* when you volunteer for a job, follow through with it
* respect people's privacy
Then I realized that we do indeed need these reminders.
One feels that people are increasingly uncivil and inconsiderate of others. I don't want to be like that and reading this book reminds me of the small, but necessary behaviors that make daily life more pleasant for us all.
It's a small book of 141 pages, with about 1/3 of those being lists of reminders. In between each list of reminders is a small essay or lecture on different themes such as teachers or driving or sports and courtesies that apply to that area of life.
I feel that every courtesy inspires someone else to act more pleasantly. Hopefully it will ripple out to others and gain momentum. Wouldn't it be great!