Bishop: A Golden Answer to Every Problem

Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

I have been in practice as a lawyer for more than 32 years, in five states. People rarely come to see a lawyer when everything is fine in their lives. As a result, over the years, I have seen a lot of problems. I’ve seen families split apart, friendships broken, and businesses and lives ruined. Clients are usually angry and wish their lives had turned out differently.

One day, I had a revelation. Using Albert Einstein’s advice, if people would only solve their problems using different thinking … And to take that advice a step further, if people thought differently from the beginning, their problems wouldn’t even occur.

There is one magic way of thinking that would solve problems before they even begin. It is for all of us to follow “The Golden Rule.”

“The Golden Rule” has been around for thousands of years, spoken of in nearly every religion and ethical tradition. From the ancient Greeks to Confucius, in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions, and in secular writings, “The Golden Rule” is a cornerstone principle.

I am a lawyer; I am accustomed to following laws. What if I, what if we all, followed the words of a rule, the ancient Golden Rule?

A spouse would not treat his or her spouse badly because they would not want to be treated that way. Everyone would be honest and efficient in their business dealings — no business person would ever want to be cheated financially, so why would they treat others that way? Employers would mentor their employees the way they wish that they had been mentored. And families and neighbors would learn to get along, because they also would not want to be treated as outcasts or with bad intentions.

And in the world outside my law offices’ windows, all over our country, and in every other country on the planet … everyone would treat each other as they wished to be treated. The leaders of nations would ensure their own people, and the people of other nations, would be treated with the same degree of care that they would wish others would bestow upon them.

A quick response to this call to action might be, “Why should I do what others are not doing?”

Because we need to be the change we want to see in the world. So, let’s do it. Let’s live by “The Golden Rule.”

Cindy Bishop is a lawyer and Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator working in Brevard County.

Columnist series are sponsored by weVENTURE at the Florida Institute of Technology College of Business. weVENTURE has locations in Melbourne and Rockledge. The Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information, visit weventure.org or call 321-674-7007.