What principles define how you live?

In college I was a language major. One semester I had classes in German, Russian,French and Hebrew.

I took a Biblical Hebrew class which is different from a modern Hebrew class. But the class included more than the Hebrew found in the Torah or Old Testament of a Bible. We learned about Aramaic – the language before Hebrew – and the origins of some of the parables and stories that are found in the New Testament.

One of those stories later became known as the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the days before Jesus, a pagan approached Rabbi Gamliel and said, “I will convert if you can teach me all their is to know in the Torah while I stand on one foot.” Rabbi Gamliel sent the pagan away.

Undaunted, the pagan went to Rabbi Hillel and again said, “I will convert if you can teach me all their is to know in the Torah while I stand on one foot.” Rabbi Hillel thought for a moment and then told the pagan, “that which is harmful to you, do not to others. All else is commentary, now go forth and study.”

Since learning those words all those many years ago, I have tried very hard to live my life according to those words. Admittedly, there have been times that not being hateful to someone was difficult but I have tried.

The simple act of remembering where the fault lies and not lashing out at a bus driver because his superiors changed the route or not yelling at a delivery person because the restaurant messed up the order can go a long way toward civility and peace…for all involved.

That all comes under the guise of “Don’t sweat the small stuff” or more accurately, don’t give yourself a heart attack or stroke over something which you have no control.

One of my Granma’s sayings was “if you clean up around your own back door, you don’t have time to worry about anyone else’s.” I tell people, I’m not a bad neighbour, just not a nosy one. I mind my own business. If whatever they are doing doesn’t harm or affect me in any way…I don’t care!

Don’t get me wrong, I have my pet peeves and major irritations but life is much more serene when there is much less to fret over.