Making a decision? Consider: WWJD

     

Daughter Kirstin, at left, used to wear a WWJD bracelet. 
These days she is mother to Myla, age 3, pictured, 
and twin daughters.

    A 1990s movement that started in Michigan came to mind recently: WWJD?

    That's "What Would Jesus Do?" and it was a phrase taught to religious teens as they considered what could be life-changing decisions.

    It occurs to me that the phrase also works for any number of people.

    Consider the Golden Rule ("Treat Others as You Would Like to Be Treated Yourself,"). It pays to carefully consider how one interacts with other people.

    That seems especially important in these charged times.

    The WWJD message originally spread among Christian youths but it is surely applicable to people of all faiths.

     We embraced the phrase several years ago. As an example, it was popular with those of us who taught at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Long Grove, Iowa. The WWJD bracelets were purchased and distributed. It was a talking point in religion class, and that practice was probably reflected across the nation.

    It is designed to encourage one to emulate the teachings of Jesus, according to the Bible.

    At one point -- 1998 --the Lansing, Mich., company that designed the WWJD bracelets sold 17 million of them, bringing $7.5 million to the coffers. See the Orlando Sentinel for a news story on the bracelets and other WWJD items.

    As far as the Golden Rule is concerned, scholars believe it originated in the Age of Confucian, 551-479 B.C. This concept appears in multiple religions -- from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. 

    Ideas to encourage civility in our society are surely worthwhile.