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Old Message, New Messenger - Part 1

This blog series has been rattling around my mind for some time.  Nearly 20 years ago, I first heard this quote;
 
At that time in my personal development, I didn't have the breadth of life experience to take a position on this quote.  Nearly two decades later, I do and I see a lot of truth in it.  This blog series will explore some of the ideas/statements that have impacted me in the last few years, and show how the roots of the same lesson were planted earlier in my life, from other sources.

Old Message, New Messenger - Part 1:  We Teach People How to Treat Us

I admit, I heard this quote on the Dr. Phil show, along with millions of others; "We teach people how to treat us."  In researching this quote, I found information that suggests a similar message was made popular by Dear Abby, several years earlier.  I have spent many minutes pondering it and when I am not getting the treatment I want from others, I step back and ask myself how I have been teaching THEM to behave toward me.  At least half the time the exercise provides insight.

Is this idea new?  I am reminded of a bible verse that my parents both quoted several times in my childhood.  Luke 6:31; Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you.  Is the new message really that different?  How we treat others is often the treatment we get in return.  Whether it is because we have taught them what is acceptable to us, or because as humans, we tend to mirror common behaviours and mannerisms that we witness - in the end, we get what we give.

Do you agree or disagree?  Share your thoughts in the comments.



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