The Golden Rule
8 months ago
It is very important to live by The Golden Rule. Every major World religion teaches this precept.
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People doing this are also doing these things:
Entries
Untitled
2 years ago
I think there are two aspects to this goal. One… obviously I’ll be a better wife, daughter and friend if I think of how I would feel if the situation were reversed. But two… (and this is the aspect that made me find this goal today) If a co-worker’s birthday is coming up, my first thought regarding getting them a card should NOT be “Did they get me a card for my birthday?”!! I just caught myself thinking that and it occurred to me that I should just get the card because I want to, regardless of whether or not I received one a few months back. I feel like a brat having thought that, so I will now make it my goal to follow the Golden Rule. :)
Can Still Go Wrong
3 years ago
I think treating other people how you yourself would like to be treated (such as allowing your significant other to wear any outfit they want, or eating someone’s last chocolate biscuit and buying a replacement packet for them) is a pretty good ‘rule of thumb’ for living a ‘good’ life.
I’m no expert on the academia of philosophy, but I rely on my intuition for such things.
The basic mode of operation is this – whenever you’re about to do something with/to someone just ask yourself: if the situation were reversed, would be you OK with that? Look on the other side of the coin before making a decision.
Note that this doesn’t always work! People have such wildly different value systems. As Abe Lincoln has been quoted (accurately or no):
You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
So yeah, you just gotta acknowledge that no system (or indeed anything) is really perfect, but the ‘golden rule’ covers a lot of territory!
I think it’s also important to apply the reverse: if someone treats you in a way you’re not happy with, have a think about their motives and try to understand them before getting upset. At the very least, you gotta talk to that person and explain why you didn’t like what they did and who knows – you might just understand a friend, a family member or a lover just a little bit more as a result of the communcation.
