When others are angry with you, loving to you, critical of you, and so on, do you treat them the same? We tend to treat others, except those in a position of authority or power over us, the same way they treat us.

Let's say you enter a restaurant expecting great service and a tasty meal. The waiter or waitress is snarly and literally throws the food on the table. You ask for a glass of water to go with the meal and they act as though you had asked for something impossible.

Our first reaction is to be unkind in return and also decide that they will not receive a tip. Is this the right reaction in this or in any situation?

Perhaps they have just been informed a loved one is seriously ill and in a hospital, or they haven't the money to pay their rent and are facing eviction from their home, or they have a severe headache. This list could go on endlessly.

The problem we face is that we have no way of knowing what the other person is going through at that point in their life. Even the finest people are sometimes so overwhelmed by circumstances they act rashly. And who is to say we wouldn't act the same way in similar circumstances?

The next time you begin to treat another as badly as they have treated you, try to put yourself into their circumstances. We can never put ourselves into the exact position of another, but it will help us to be more understanding.

By always doing our best to treat others as we would wish to be treated, we make things better for ourselves and others with whom we come in contact.