Hail to Norm and The Golden Rule!

The Golden Rule (1961), by Norman Rockwell

Hands down, this has gotta be my favorite illustration, no IFs, ANDs, or BUTs about it. I have loved it since I was a little girl and it brings to me an emotion that fills me physically, creating in my chest a powerful hum - it fills me with hope. It speaks to me of nothing but love for my fellowmen, no matter the level of corruption that exists among our politicians and leaders, no matter the degree of cruelty we may inflict upon each other because of our said "differences" or our selfish indifference. There are good people in this world, regardless, and our differences enrich this world we live in, as long as we respect and honor those differences. This kind of statement makes me think of my mum. She tried very hard before she left to instill in me certain ideals as to how I should treat and view others and regard those seemingly different than me: "Their insides look and feel the very same as yours. They're no different than you."

There's many a way in the world to do one thing or another, and I think The Golden Rule is the best guideline one could hold to. The link here refers to various versions of The Golden Rule from several world religions ~ I am otherwise unfamiliar with the "Teaching Values" site.

The Golden Rule was first printed for The Saturday Evening Post. The resolution on this pic isn't quite as clear, but shows what the April 1, 1961 cover looked like.

I do so love Norman Rockwell ~ his own statement regarding his work is quite telling, I believe:

"Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed."
-— Norman Rockwell