“We, who are as good as you, swear to you, who are not better than us, to accept you as our king and soverign lord, provided you observe all our liberites and laws — but if not, not.”
This was the oath of allegiance sworn by Catalans and Aragonese to the Spanish monarch in Madrid in the 15th Century.
I love it!
It’s in-your-face; it’s respectful.
It’s got commitment in it; it’s got a brash sense of liberty hanging around it; it has boundaries.
This oath respects that we take on different roles, but that those roles don’t make anyone better than any one else. That’s right.
Mutual respect, mutual value and mutual good are at the core of all good relationships. For love to exist, both sides must honor and value the other.
This fits us; it squares with democracy; it squares with our modern marriages; it squares up nicely with modern society.
Men and women must equally honor each other. Races must value other races. Rich and poor — mutual respect. Parents should respect their children, the children respect the parents.
Differing faiths are fine to differ, but they must not hate and attack each other. Political parties exist to put forward contrasting opinions, but hate, disrespect and personal attacks will ruin both. Having differing ideas doesn’t necessarily make either side evil, it just makes them different.
The best relating is a confident, everything-on-the-table negotiation. It is dialogue, with respectful boundaries — well put.
If yes, yes; if not, not.
We make a pact to honor.
Let’s not let it get to not.
Thrive! 