Have you ever heard about the Golden Rule, and its reverse, the Silver Rule? I´m sure you have, though perhaps you were not aware this is what they´re called.  

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (treat others the same way you would like to bet treated). Does this sound familiar? Well, this is the Golden Rule, a moral principle that´s present in virtually every culture, philosophy and religion in the history of Humanity.

And if we formulate this same idea in a negative form, it becomes the Silver Rule: do not treat others the way you would not like them to treat you..

It makes sense, doesn´t it? It´s a very simple rule, really easy to understand even for small children, especially in this second version. "OK sweetie, do you like it when the other kids hit you or take away your toys? Then don´t do it to them..." (typical parent´s speech, it never goes out of fashion).

Using videogames as a metaphor, it just came to my mind that the so-called Silver Rule would be the most basic level of "doing good deeds", the beginners level: do no harm to your neighbour.

Later on, as we grow and mature, we can proceed to the intermediate level: the Golden Rule, where the goal is no longer just not to leave the other person worse than you found them, but to leave them in a better state. Do you want people to value you, listen to you, help you? Then, behave the same way when you´re interacting with others (regardless of the result).

But, did you know there´s an even more advanced level of this metaphorical "doing good deeds" videogame? I bumped into it this week, it´s called the Platinum Rule: treat others the way THEY would like to be treated..

They. Not you.

That´s a very high standard, isn´t it? Because, how am I supposed to know how the other wants to be treated? I´m going to have to make an effort to get to know them well, snapping out of my own self-centeredness, leaving aside my preconceived ideas and truly tuning into what they consider important. That´s the only way.

What do you think? What level do you see yourself at right now? Do you accept the challenge of following the Platinum Rule?