When you think of elementary school, what do you remember? You probably can recall the “golden rule,” or giving someone your cookie at lunch because they deserved it for some reason, or being forced to share a toy with another kid by a teacher. Of course, these scenarios were just adults setting the baseline for society, so when we grew up we all weren’t really rude. But these scenarios also have deep philosophical meanings behind them. Many philosophers throughout the years have been trying to tackle the question “what do we owe to each other?” I may not be a philosopher, and this might just be a high school news site, but I’ve decided there’s no better time than the present to tackle a philosophical dilemma.
So… what do we owe to each other? This question could be referring to an item, an action, or just the general way to interact with each other in everyday life. I’d like to argue that it’s referring to all three, and any others that you can think of. Let’s go back to the “golden rule.” It’s famously quoted stating that all people should treat each other the way that they wish to be treated. But what if they don’t get treated that way in return? Do you owe it to the other person to be nice, and treat them as if they were you? I feel that you are not obligated to treat other people the way that you should be treated, especially not if you’re just doing it to benefit yourself in the future. But that also doesn’t mean you should go around being rude to everyone because some kid on the internet said you “don’t owe it to them.” Nobody owes anything to anyone. Take care of yourself first. If you’re in a situation where there are two people being hurt, and you’re one of them, get yourself out first… then help the other person out. You can’t get someone else out of a fire if you’re getting burnt too.
Back to my point from earlier… just because you don’t owe anything to someone, doesn’t mean you should be rude to them. Why do we act nice to people? It’s not because we feel like we’re obligated to, or again, because a kid on a website said to. It’s because we want to. We care for others and feel that being nice is a good thing to do to brighten someone’s day. So, what do we owe to each other? We owe it to ourselves to prioritize ourselves over others, and we owe it to others to be genuine. When people are genuine with their feelings, they can bring the best out of relationships, friendships, or life-long memories to be had. But genuine feelings can also break relationships apart when they come to a natural close. When relationships hit a natural close, it’s best not to push them past their limits. This is why honesty is so important when it comes to friendships, relationships, and family values.
We owe it to others to be genuine, but what else do we owe? I believe that we also owe it to others to make sacrifices for those that deserve it. Again, I’m not saying to never allow yourself to have anything nice because you think that someone better could deserve it. The point is, if you notice someone struggling, and you know that they need an extra boost, give them a hand. I bet you’ve been in a situation similar, and you’ve wanted a hand. This goes back to the golden rule. When you were struggling, did you want to be treated that way? Did you only help them to benefit yourself? If so, rethink it. Help people to benefit others, and not yourself. See how good you feel then. If you help others for the sole purpose of making their day just a tiny bit better, it could dramatically change your day, week, month, year, or even life.
This question challenges how far people are willing to go to live a truly good life. Honestly, you don’t have to live a truly good life. Though it doesn’t hurt to be a little kinder to those that need it, and honest to those that care about you.

Thanks for reading my story. You don’t owe it to me.