Give as you get, or as you’d be given?

By Rhiannonw

Wed, 05 Nov 2014
  • 1825 reads
4 comments
 

If you were in power
would you be pure,
selfless and serving,
trustworthy, true?

Or would you be tempted
to taste and take pleasure
in wielding the whip hand
and lounging at leisure?

Quick to condemn,
but slow to commend?
slow to be generous,
but for self, quick to spend?

If the bullied soon bully
the bossed love to boss,
then everyone’s bitter
unhappy and cross.

Do unto others
what someone has done to you?
or, reversing the flow,
can you do to them
what you’d like them to do to you?

 

Certificate U
Poem
Christian, Biblical
Philosophy

Comments

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

Good solid philosophy in this poem. It certainly made me stop and think.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Jean, me too. It does sometimes seem so easy to criticize politicians etc, and not notice hard work amongst mistakes, what one feels are wrong opinions, or worse, aswell. And examine one's own willingness to be serving and selfless. And of course, the need for grace to be so at all at any time. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Denzella on

Hello Rhiannon,

I liked this poem too mainly for the way you have made me think.   Particularly in the last stanza you show the reader there is another way to deal with relationships other than 'Do unto others...'  

Nicely put,

Moya

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Moya. As you say, we notice others who moan and then act the same way themselves; but, personally …
Often reminded of a verse in the Bible book of Provervbs, 'If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap buring coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you'  (Prov 25:21, 22) which sounds a bit harsh, but really is a visual way I think to show how embarrassing real kindness can be, but also calming of anger, and much better than 'tit for tat'! Rhiannon