When I got sober, I
believed I deserved to hurt. I deserved pain for the people I hurt. There was a
massive trail of broken lives in the wake my addiction had created. When I got
hurt, I knew I had it coming. My sponsor saw I had this problem and talked to
me about the Golden Rule. I had trouble relating to it.
Next he introduced me
to the Silver Rule, thinking I could understand that better. The Silver Rule
posits, "One shouldn't treat others in a way they would not like to be
treated." This still did not work. I thought I had to do penance for old
behaviors. When bad things happened, I chalked them up to reaping what I sowed.
I knew I had to become
more positive so I looked to the person I felt positive about. No matter how
much I disliked myself, I loved my sister. At the time she was the person I
loved the most. I did not ever want to see someone mistreat her. She was my inspiration for the Platinum Rule, which is to:
TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY
YOU WANT THEM TO TREAT THE PERSON YOU CARE ABOUT MOST
