To the Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

Hey Rachel, long time no talk. There's a book I've been reading on my kindle, it's called Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace written by Kent Nerburn. It focuses on the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi, a highly regarded religious figure. I don't read religious texts, but I was told this one was different. And it is. Yesterday I came across a particular passage which I couldn't help to look it up online. Here it is: To the Cab Ride I'll Never Forget.

I tell you this not because it speaks to me themes of death, but rather its visceral conveying of the point of the golden rule.

So beautifully written, it really isn't great moments that catch us unaware as he says, it's that our life is a constant stream of such moments, usually unbeknownst to us. It's only occasionally that we realize the sort of impact we have on those around us.

This story reminds me to continue applying these principles (within certain limits, the golden rule isn't a moral panacea) to every interaction, including the most incidental. The feelings expressed in the story are exactly the sort from which I derive my compassion and which I use as the intuitive component of my ethical reasoning. I think it reminds me to consider the side-effects of not just my actions, but also how I express my internal states to others.

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