Yes these are
words to live by.
I am by no means a religious person. Though I can agree with that statement, it is 100%
common sense. Treat people like you want to be treated. I do exactly that. When folks get
cheeky with me, I'll get equally cheeky with them. Doesn't matter who they are,
bill collectors,
tele-marketers, my boss, the
Philadelphia Police or even the Pope. But the pope isn't an asshole like the others I mentioned, right?
I try to teach by example. It's not easy to pick up a book (such as the bible, or a CCNA Study Guide) and do something correctly without having practiced it first.
People tend to misunderstand where the anger is coming from when I turn it back on them. "Why are you so hostile and defensive?", they say. "Because, that's all I got from you just now was hostility.", I say. Makes them think a little and choose their words carefully.
Does it solve every conflict? No, not all of them. Does it prevent conflicts from occuring? Definately not the initial conflicts or problems that arise. Practice makes perfect.