The Golden Rule

I like listening to this guy’s editorials on KNX AM1070 and I thought this one was especially good.

» The Golden Rule by Michael Josephson

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, Confucius was asked, “Is there one word that may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life?”

He answered, “Reciprocity. What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” This basic principle, now called the Golden Rule, can be found in every major religion and philosophy.

Many people evoke one version or another of this rule, but it’s often misused. The Golden Rule is not a rule of enlightened self-interest. Sure, people are more likely to be nice to you if you’re nice to them, but the moral center of this principle is lost if you simply view it as a rule of exchange: Do unto others so they will do unto you or do unto others as they have done unto you, let alone do unto others before they do unto you.

The core of the Golden Rule is a moral obligation to treat others ethically for their sake, not ours, even if it’s better than the way they treat us. That means we should be honest to liars, fair to the unjust, and kind to cruel people.

Why? Not because it’s advantageous, but because it’s right. The way I treat others is about who I am, not who they are. It’s like the man who broke off an argument that descended to name-calling by saying, “Sir, I will treat you as a gentleman – not because you’re one, but because I’m one.”

It’s true that if we commit to always treating others the way we want to be treated, we’ll be taken advantage of occasionally. But that’s also true of those who are always trying to outsmart their neighbor.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.