The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” promotes treating others with kindness and respect. It has been found in many religions and cultures throughout history, but interpretations vary. The goal is to promote empathy, but there is no guarantee of reciprocity or reward.
The golden rule is the idea that people should treat others the same way they would like to be treated themselves. It is often expressed as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” which is a translation of a Bible verse, Luke 6:31. Also called the reciprocity ethic, variations of this concept can be found in many religions and throughout history. Some versions exhort people to love other people or to avoid harming others. Either way, the underlying theme is that you should treat other people with kindness and respect.
History
It is unclear when the Golden Rule was first expressed or by whom. The Old Testament book of Leviticus, which was written around 1400 BC, says in verse 18, chapter 19, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BC, is said to have written: “Do not do to others what we do not want them to do to us.” A Hindu text written around the same time, the Mahabharata, includes the sentence: “Do not do to others what would cause pain if it were done to you.” Similar concepts are expressed in Taoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and many other religions and philosophies.
In literature
The Golden Rule has also been found in ancient texts from Greece, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, India and other countries. Not all of these texts are explicitly religious or philosophical. For example, in Homer’s Odyssey, believed to have been written in 600-800 BC, a character states, “I will be as careful for you as I should be for myself in the same need.”
interpretations
Despite this concept’s stated goal of treating others as equals, people throughout history have applied other interpretations to the Golden Rule. For example, some people and cultures have not considered some other people worthy of being treated under the Golden Rule, such as their enemies, members of other cultures, or people who have committed crimes or wrongdoing. In other cases, people have interpreted this concept simply as a cautionary tale to avoid hurting others rather than a plea to do something good for them.
Replacement and Reward
Overall, the intent of the Golden Rule is to promote empathy. Considering how kindly one would like to be treated, one can be empathetic in treating others. No matter how someone treats others, however, there is no guarantee that the same behavior will be reciprocated or returned. Therefore, those who follow this rule often do so in the hope that, one day, each person will treat everyone else with kindness and receive kindness from others. Others may do so in hopes that their treatment of others will bring good karma or blessings, even if their empathy is not reciprocated by all with whom they associate.
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