The Golden Rule

By Tony Karoumi

I wish to thank everyone who organized, volunteered, taught, provided support services, and attended our 2016 AMTA –IL Chapter Convention and Annual meeting. A lot of work went on to provide a weekend of education, networking, and community building. I always walk away from these AMTA conventions with the sense of being recharged and ready to take on the world. This past convention had shaped up to be no different.

But then…it happened. One of our attendees, who I had seen having a great time throughout the weekend, came up to me at lunch before the final session of class. Now I have struggled with even bringing this up. And I chose not to address it at lunch that day because I looked around and saw everyone engaged in conversations with one another and enjoying themselves. I just couldn’t end our convention on a negative note.

I have spent time reflecting on the situation, and believe this is the right time and vehicle to address this issue. Having not been there to actually witness this, I realize the initial conversation between the two attendees is hearsay. I will only comment on what I was told and give my two cents.

The attendee came up to me at lunch with a distressed demeanor and asked if one of us (Board members, I assumed) had a minute to talk. Walking to an area with some privacy, the attendee started to tell me how another attendee had stopped them outside of a class and asked questions about the class they had just taken and made some small talk. Then the same person sat down at their lunch table continuing to make small talk. The subject of where they had gone to massage school came up. After naming their school, the other attendee made the remark (As I was told, and not witness to) “I would never get a massage from someone who went there for school!” with a disgusted expression.

The attendee was so distraught and hurt by the way they were demeaned and treated by this other person, that they couldn’t go back to class and left the convention.

Here is the “my two cent” part…

I would be a liar and a hypocrite if I said I had never put my big fat foot in my mouth and said something without considering someone else’s feelings or how they might interpret it.

But there is something I try to live by. “The Golden Rule.” Do onto others, as you would have them do onto you. It’s so simple a concept and yet so deep and meaningful. There is a difference between having pride in where you went to school and putting others down.

We are a community of massage therapists. There are plenty of people out in the world who would like to minimize and discredit who we are and what we do. We do not need to help them and attack one another. Please remember that the words we say and write have weight to them. Let’s be aware of the weight we can place on ourselves and others. I wish to say to all our members, and I believe that I speak for all of our Board members past and present, that we appreciate and value all our AMTA members…no matter where you went to school.

Please remember…Do onto others, as you would have them do upon you.