HOW DOES WINNIE THE POOH SAY WE SHOULD TREAT OTHERS?

 

            Continuing with John Wesley’s Manifesto, which talks about the issues that he cared about back in the 18^th century, we come to “end all forms of slavery.” Well, then this should be a short blog, right? We don’t have slavery any more. The 13^th amendment outlawed slavery in America with the words: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”  Is been 156 years since that amendment was ratified, so this is a part of the Manifesto that we can ignore, because it’s already been “solved.” Nope, I don’t think so.

             Matthew 7:12 says: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” And even Winnie the Pooh is on it.

             John Wesley’s actual words say it like this: “Let none serve you but by his own act and deed, by his own voluntary action. Away with all whips, all chains, all compulsion!... Do with everyone else as you would he should do to you.”

             Wesley’s actual words take “slavery” away from the mindset that says “we’ve outlawed slavery;” “everyone’s treated the same now;” “people have the same rights under the law;” and “let’s ignore this part of the manifesto.”

            I don’t think we can ignore this part of the manifesto. If we look closely at Wesley’s words, it says “by his own act and deed, by his own voluntary action.” If someone has to take a job, grossly underpaid, with no benefits, long hours, bad treatment, etc., how can that be voluntary? Just taking a job simply because that’s all they’re offered, or because they need money just to be able to eat… But bad treatment and low pay means that job is being done under compulsion!

            That brings us right back to what that has to do with each one of us.

·              X If we have the ability to right the wrongs being done to other, shouldn’t we?

·             X  If we can be part of making the change to minimum wage, reasonable working hours, available health care, shouldn’t we?

·             X  If we simply treat the person next to us, the person across the counter, the person handing us our food through the drive-through window, the person opening the door and greeting us at the store, the person that’s in “customer service”, shouldn’t we?

            Shouldn’t we? We MUST! We must end all forms of slavery! It’s Wesley, it’s the Bible AND it’s Winnie the Pooh!