Golden Rule

I’m the kind of person who values privacy. I don’t like my mails opened nor my emails read.  That’s why I cancelled our contract with AT&T when our privacy was breached.  I just don’t take it lightly when violated.

Image from Patti @ www.essentialscafe.com http://essentialscafe.com/forums/p/3542/12290.aspx

Some things should just be embedded into our common sense but I realized that what I feel isn’t right may not be the case with others.  An incident occurred this weekend that made me write this entry.  Where do you draw the line of privacy?  My father-in-law asked my husband how much refund we received from our taxes.   Is that appropriate to ask?   He wasn’t comfortable being put in the spotlight and felt somewhat forced to disclosed the information.  But if it were my parents who asked, I’d tell them without hesitation.   Or maybe if it were his mother, his reaction would have been different because she is blood.  The father-in-law (which will be referred to as f.i.l) is his stepdad.  Sometimes the f.i.l doesn’t convey his message in a calmer asking-kindly tone, more of a command TELL-ME tone.  That could be reasons to why my husband reacted negatively to the f.i.l’s inquiry.  Nevertheless, isn’t money a sensitive topic to talk about? I know for a fact that f.i.l would not disclose his refund amount, if there were any, nor would he confess his yearly income to us.  Actually, my husband’s mother wouldn’t even tell him how much she’s earning a year! Obviously, it’s a sensitive topic to them.

It’s hypocritical and inappropriate to have an “i can ask you but you cannot ask me” attitude.  Yet, it’s all around us.  

Keep the Golden Rule in mind ... "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you”. What a simple, old phrase, one that i’ve heard growing up. It didn’t mean much then until I grew up.