What a heavenly concept! Perhaps it even is Heaven. But it is not possible here on Earth. It is not possible for 301,621,157 people to mind their own business. Yet, I am not sure that this is really a bad thing.
Obviously, each of us wants to live our own lives as we choose to do, but there have been many situations in my life in which I was grateful someone did not “let live”. For instance, in 2005, I was left stranded in the Greyhound Bus depot, in Las Vegas, with not a dime in my pocket. But a good soul, who noticed me sitting on a bench and crying, did not “let live” and helped me to get back home.
And what about crime? Do we really want to practice “let live” if we witness a crime, or worse, do we want witnesses to practice it if someone is committing a crime against us? For instance, I was the victim of a hit-and-run accident while in my car at a red light. As it turned out, he was driving fast and recklessly because he had just stabbed his girlfriend. Needless to say, I was not the only one who was grateful to the witness who did not “let live”, but who got the license plate of the person who did it instead.
I realize the meaning of this idiom is to express the idea of living our own life without interference or judgment from others, and allowing others to do the same. On paper, it looks real promising, but we can't just arbitrarily practice it when it is convenient for us. If we walk past a homeless person saying, “I believe in live and let live,“ we have to understand that the reason why no one helps us as we are getting mugged is because they too believe in “live and let live,”.
A philosophy for life that I believe is better and I strive to follow (but many times am not successful) is the good, old Golden Rule . “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It is simple, clear, concise and can be practiced. But it takes a lot of effort. It takes being constantly and consistently aware of your thoughts. It takes breaking old thought processes and beginning new ones. But little by little, you find that people are treating you differently, which in turn makes you feel good, which in turn makes them feel good, and so on.
Have you ever noticed how contagious laughter is or how contagious a smile is? Well, so is the Golden Rule. Respect, honesty, and sincerity can spread just as fast as hate, hypocrisy, and prejudice.
So, “Do unto others…..”, and include yourself. Be good to yourself, as well.
