The Rabbis remind us that the number one principle for knowing what not to do to others
is: "What you yourself dislike, don't do to another. This is the entire Torah. The rest is commentary."
When we want to say something to another person and aren't certain if we should say it, we can ask ourselves,
"Would I want someone to say something similar to me?" When we have a question about whether a certain business practice would
be acceptable, we can ask ourselves, "How would I feel if someone did this to me?" If someone wants to play a practical joke
on another person, he can ask himself, "Would I prefer that someone else not do something similar to me?" The Golden Rule
is a general guideline to make us more sensitive to the potential pain of others.
Build up your awareness of what you would not want others to do to you. Every time someone says or does
anything that you find distressful, immediately add it to your mental list of what you are now totally committed not
to do to others. Similarly, if you observe or hear about something that is done to another person and you feel, "I
wouldn't like anyone to do that to me," add it to your 'I won't do this to others' list.
