The Golden Rule

Be nice to others? That’s easy we say. I don’t harm anyone with my actions. But the actual intended meaning goes far deeper than this.

The Golden Rule says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. For years I only thought of the physical meaning physical. I always knew not to physically harm others and so I thought the Golden Rule was pretty simple and never gave it much more thought.

Sometime later I meditated on the synthesis of Thought, Word, and Action. I started to have new thoughts, new thoughts about old things, and The Golden Rule kept coming to mind. Then I felt the weight of the Golden Rule and Thought, Word, and Action and how they are so intertwined. They go together like the double helix of a DNA strand. Of course we shouldn’t physically harm people but how many times have we done just that with our thoughts. Maybe at times we should remind ourselves to “Think of others as you would have them think of you”…..

The Golden Rule is such a blessing and a powerful tool when used correctly and now I am aware of the significance of Thought, Word, and Action. Although keeping them all focused proves to be much more difficult than originally thought, it is also infinitely more rewarding.

To be sure the Golden Rule is a much more difficult teaching by which to live than its so-called predecessors:

Buddhism: 560 BC, From the Udanavarga 5:18- "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself."
Judaism: 1300 BC, from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18- "Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself."
Zoroastrianism: 600 BC, From the Shast-na-shayast 13:29- "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others."
Confucianism: 557 BC, From the Analects 15:23- "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."

The active principle of what Jesus taught causes us to do unto others first, regardless of whether or not they ever do unto us. How do I want to be treated, if I am a morally, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically whole person?

Jesus, the Master, models what it is to be a perfect human and simultaneously demonstrates his own teaching.

Excellent post.

Peace and blessings,

Brian

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Comments

Wayne Webb October 18, 2016 at 4:01am

Thanks Vincent and you are so right. Things are just hidden in plain sight. We get so caught up in thinking that things are hidden from us we fail to see what is directly in front of our faces.

Peace Profound!
Vincent Richardson October 17, 2016 at 10:26pm

Great post. It's funny how we can sometimes miss the simplest yet profound truths while searching for something more complex.

Peace Profound
Wayne Webb May 2, 2016 at 12:46pm

Thank you for your kind words Brian. Yes I can see this has been repeated many times throughout history. A great truth told in different ways to the different peoples and regions.

"That which you are, I AM."

Peace Profound!
Brian Hull Reagan May 2, 2016 at 11:48am
To be sure the Golden Rule is a much more difficult teaching by which to live than its so-called predecessors:
- Buddhism: 560 BC, From the Udanavarga 5:18- "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself."
- Judaism: 1300 BC, from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18- "Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself."
- Zoroastrianism: 600 BC, From the Shast-na-shayast 13:29- "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others."
- Confucianism: 557 BC, From the Analects 15:23- "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
The active principle of what Jesus taught causes us to do unto others first, regardless of whether or not they ever do unto us. How do I want to be treated, if I am a morally, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically whole person?

Jesus, the Master, models what it is to be a perfect human and simultaneously demonstrates his own teaching.

Excellent post.

Peace and blessings,

Brian

This reply was deleted.