If I ever write my Way of Justin book, after the introduction entitled “Limited Time Only,” the book will certainly begin with a section that essentially boils down to “Be Nice.” If you google similarities between religions, you usually come up with a reference to the commonality of the golden rule. No, not this golden rule.
I’ve read breakdowns that point to the problems with the golden rule. The guy who thinks do unto others as you would have do unto yourself so he ties someone up and whips them. But I think generally the rule works. For me, it basically means being nice.
When I think of being bice, I think of the quote, “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind,” from Dr. Wayne Dyer. I think the first time I explicitly came across this concept was in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut. It seemed like many of his protagonists were really kind-hearted people, and they would often be put in situations where someone would misunderstand them, or discount their abilities or contributions, or wrong them somehow. And the characters would consistently take the abuse and react with gentle kindness rather than correct someone or argue or defend themselves.
In hindsight, though, as I’ve gotten older, I realize my parents were showing me this very lesson over and over and over in their interactions with people.
The second half of my “Be Nice” entries would be from my favorite fictional character, Elwood P. Dowd. This is the one I say to myself every single day, over and over, to set my intention for every interaction. “You must be either oh so smart or oh so pleasant… I recommend pleasant.”
I see it at work all the time. A smart, competent worker who doesn’t know how to treat his coworkers is not very well liked and doesn’t get the kind of help others might. And I have to imagine this makes their work experience a lot less enjoyable, despite their abilities. Then you get a young kid who doesn’t know the job yet, is still figuring it out, but he’s nice, he’s pleasant to be around, and people are willing to help him out.
I believe you can go far in life by just being pleasant to be around.
And here’s what it truly boils down to: at the very least, just don’t be a dick.
Sex And Depression 