There probably isn’t much in this world where a thinking person couldn’t apply the Golden Rule — treat others as you would have them treat you.

I have been thinking about this since Saturday, when I served on a panel at the Bradford Area Public Library discussing gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

The other women on the panel were Anne Holliday from WESB, Dr. Nancy McCabe, Dr. Tracee Howell and Stephanie Eckstrom, all from University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and attorney Michele Alfieri-Causer.

Among the topics discussed were questions from well-meaning men about how to treat women in this day and age when people are so sensitive. How does a man go about being polite and respectful without his actions being taken as offensive or derogatory?

My response is this: Follow the Golden Rule.

During the discussion, I gave a few examples of situations through my journalism career where that advice was not followed.

For instance, a first-responder once spit at my feet; a member of law enforcement wanted to speak to a man instead of me; an official insulted my education and said my husband should teach me better.

What I realized, sadly, was the other women on the panel — women at the top of their fields, whose abilities and intellect, in my estimation, command respect — had experienced similar scorn.

One expert on the panel said something that resonated with all present: What if we as a society have missed out on the cure for cancer because no one listened to the woman who discovered it?

That’s a frightening thought.

It’s no secret to most who know me that I come from a big family. I have 10 brothers and four sisters. We had a lot of gender-specific roles growing up — like my brothers worked on cars and went hunting. Yet we had a lot of roles that might have seemed out of the ordinary for girls, too. For example, I spent summers splitting wood for the coming winter’s heat. One brother (John) was, and secretly still is, a champ in the kitchen.

We weren’t discouraged from trying anything. I knew how to shoot before I was 10. I knew how to build a fire for warmth, a campfire, or a quicker burning fire for looks. Yes, there is a difference. I could cut a good marshmallow stick, and identify edible plants.

I worked in maintenance at my high school over several summers through the job training and placement act. I’ve held physically taxing jobs, and mentally taxing jobs. For the most part, as long as I was willing to work hard, I was treated like everyone else.

One point in my life that really drove home to me that gender discrimination existed came to me in high school. A male classmate asked me my class rank. I can’t remember anymore what it was, but he made a snide remark about knowing his was better than mine.

It may have been, but the second-ranked person in our class was a girl. And this guy wasn’t ranked first. That much I can remember.

I’ve been out of school for 27 years. And that remark still rankles.

With all that said, I want to clarify, I don’t agree with women who think common manners are in some way sexist. I will say “thank you” to someone who holds the door for me, and I will hold it for the next person, male or female.

I don’t find it offensive when someone calls me “ma’am,” even if popular opinion — Cosmo, HuffPost and even NPR — says it is disrespectful or makes a woman feel “past her prime.”

Then again, I have friends who call me “dude” and it doesn’t bother me.

The point I’m trying to make here is this — yes, gender discrimination is a thing. Yes, it’s demeaning for a woman who is every bit as competent, if not more so, than a man.

But in my opinion, there’s a caveat — it rises to the point of discrimination when it comes from a place of carelessness, malice or entitlement. Sometimes a simple reminder from the targeted woman is enough to ease the problem when it is an unintentional slight.

Since Saturday’s event, I’ve thought about what advice I might offer a man who would ask what he is supposed to do to make sure he isn’t unintentionally harassing or discriminating against a woman, or against anyone.

My thoughts on this are simple, follow the Golden Rule. Treat another as you would have them treat you. Put yourself in her place.

If that’s beyond one’s understanding, here’s another fail-safe. Would you talk to or treat your mother like that?

I think if more people followed that Sunday school lesson of the Golden Rule, perhaps we as a society might not be where we are at today.

(Schellhammer is the Era’s associate editor. She can be reached at marcie@bradfordera.com)