I read this quote on Facebook: Being a good neighbour is treating someone like a brother or a sister. At first reading it sounds great. I congratulated the young man on his wisdom and thought he’d come up with a very nice variation on the original saying: Treat others as you would like others to treat you. Then I began to think on it further.

I’m sure that young man is a wonderful brother: thoughtful, caring, compassionate, generous and kind. However, not all siblings are like that; especially when they are young. Some sisters terrify their younger sibling by telling them that now they’ve accidentally swallowed a watermelon pip, they’re going to get a watermelon vine growing out of their ears. (I anxiously checked my ears for a week before my mother found out and told me it wasn’t true.) Some bigger sisters leave their little sister out of their games because she’s “too little to play with them”.

I’ve seen siblings fighting over toys. Telling tales on each other. Blaming the innocent party for something they have done. Eating the sibling’s lollies/cake/peanuts when the sibling isn’t looking.

I even know of adult siblings who still don’t speak to each other. Brothers and sisters can do terrible things to each other. (I’ve only mentioned the mild, less-violent things.)

Now, don’t get me wrong; brothers and sisters can also be wonderful. I well remember the day my sisters sneaked up to my room, after I’d had ‘the strap’ from dad, and smuggled me in some home-made chocolate. (Thanks, girls!) I can remember one of my sisters coming to my defence against a school bully: She’s my little sister, she said. The only one who gets to bully her is me. Wasn’t that sweet?

No, on second thoughts I think the original saying is the better one. After all, if there is one thing we can count on it’s people’s ability to think of themselves. It’s not hard to ask: Would I like to be treated like this?  What a shame that question isn’t asked more often; eg: If I was in that plane, would I like to be shot down? Or, If I was a refugee would I like me and my children to be locked away in a prison of tents on a small, isolated island for years? Or, If I was a woman would I like to have my genitals mutilated and to be treated like a cash cow? It’s not that hard, people. Treat others in the manner you would want to be treated. (Of course, if you’re a delightful brother or sister, you can do it like that.)