Over the last few days, I have spent just over 24 hours on airplanes. All of that time sitting in extremely confined spaces with dozens of strangers makes for some extremely interesting opportunities for observation. Of particular interest was a pair of sisters who were sitting nearby, one in front of the other. They “played” the longest game of tag I have ever seen.
The game began by accident as we boarded the plane. Sister one entered her seat and immediately began pressing every button she could find. Eventually, she found the button that allows the seat to recline. The discovery of this button seemed somewhat unexpected as she appeared startled as her seat back flung backwards. Her sister was equally surprised as she happened to be standing in the path of the seat and was “tagged” by it and propelled, face first, into her own seat.
Once the shock of first contact wore off, big sister returned the favor, right on top of little sister’s head. The tagging got fast and furious after that. Their mother tried desperately to act as referee. Both sisters argued that the other had started it by touching them first. But, neither was really concerned with whom had touched whom first; both wanted to make sure they weren’t the one who got touched last. And so, they convinced their mother that it was a game of tag and spent the next eight hours “tagging” one another with varying levels of force, each working diligently to make sure the other received what they deserved.
This is the way of the world. We naturally want to do unto others as they have done unto us. When we were young, if someone touched us, we touched them back. As we age, the game changes a bit, but the structure and the sentiment remain the same. It is an endless cycle that often crescendoes until one or both parties are hurt on some level.
We naturally want to do unto others as they have done unto us.
This is not the way of Jesus.
This is not the way of Jesus. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus gives us what we often call the golden rule. It reads, “In everything, do unto others what you would have them do to you.” Jesus didn’t say to do unto others as they have done to you. He didn’t say do unto others so they don’t do unto you. Rather, we do unto others what you desire for them to do for you.
It is up to us to set the standard we hope others will demonstrate toward us. This will require us to take the hit, to be tagged and not tag back, and to seemingly lose the petty games we often play in this life. But everybody ultimately wins, and the world (or plane, as the case may be), will be much more peaceful and graceful if we can apply the words of Jesus in all of our interactions with others. It has to start with someone; it might as well be us. TAG! We’re it!
