| AUGUST 3, 2026 -- Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18
Every major religion has some variation of the Golden Rule. In Buddhism it is expressed in the teaching “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.” Various forms exist, some stressing that you should treat others as you wish to be treated, and some stressing that you should Not do to others those things that you do Not want done to yourself. Generally it stresses reciprocity, or may list specific examples, such as “you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness, you shall not lie.” In Judeo-Christian tradition it is also a version of what Jesus called the second great commandment “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
There are those who will nitpick this moral teaching and come up with all kinds of possible exceptions or different ways of interpreting things. Most famous is the young lawyer who asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor”, which led to the telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan. And there are times when common sense will show you that following the intent of the teaching is far more important than following the strict letter of the teaching. As a trivial instance, there are a number of foods which I like which another person might find repulsive or they may have a strong allergic reaction to. Giving them a share of what I eat might be harmful to them and certainly not an example of my showing love to them. Rather I should be giving to them what They want to have and what would be beneficial to them.
Use common sense when following the Golden Rule. Adapt the spirit of the rule; treat people with basic respect and empathy, rather than blindly following the literal phrasing. This will require a bit more work on your part. It means that in many cases you will need to do some investigating to determine what other people would really want you to do to or for them. As in the saying “walk a mile in their moccasins” you might be surprised as to what you find out, but you will be a better person for it.
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