After much disappointment in some of the co-workers whom I've made plans with for my birthday celebration today, I had a temporary bout of nihilism with respect to my own existence. I realize that a celebration of one's entrance into the corporeal world is contagiously celebrated and popularize with seemingly indirect self-exaltation, it is often over exaggerated. But for some of us that extend our salutations and congratulatory remarks, do we do so because this is taught to us or that we parrot what we experience? This question is a segway into the axiom of from the Biblical verse from Matthew 7:12 "Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

The above verse is to imply that one should treat others as they want to be treated, which rather imposes personal values upon others that are around. But does this hold up today in our society? Regarding this very subject the New York Times stated that "the problem, however, has little to do with diversity or modernity; the problem is with the core supposition that any two people (regardless of similarity) will want the same thing." The very problem (but to which is also a particular strength of the Biblical verse) is that one does not need to confer to others before action because it is implied that people desire the same thing. Because we are placing ourselves in the shoes of others naturally, we are instructed to appeal to the individual's "shoes" (meaning experiences and understanding) and therefore assume from our perspective that our behavior towards them is what they desire.

My mother always said "everyone doesn't think like you," which I found to be true in the latter part of my thirties because like it says in the Bible to treat others as you wanted to be treated, not everyone lives by the same principles. So although in my mind I would give a genuine birthday wish to someone and even offer to take them out, reciprocal expectation based on the belief of the golden rule is self-defeating and it seems that there's an extended connection in all facets of social interaction among humans.

Thoughts?