Dear Friends,
It seems to me, the best working definition of a good person, is someone who follows the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is, “do unto others as you would have others do unto you…” It is also found in Confucianism, Confucius called it “Reciprocity,” – a human hearted men maintains his fences on the left as he would have his neighbor on the right maintain his. The Golden Rule is also the best measure of the justness of an act. Would the actor want his actions done to him? Or in judging another, would you want to be judged as harshly as you judge others? Philosophy is an area that must include the Golden Rule, for is a philosopher good, who would never accept his own philosophy forced on himself? If we want to have a civil, prosperous and healthy society… this is a lesson we must learn.
A hypocrite is someone who does not follow the Golden Rule and we have all been taught to associate the word hypocrite with someone who is bad. They are bad because they do not follow the Golden Rule. That is how highly our civilization has historically held the Golden Rule. You see it applied in the stories of Herodotus, Plutarch and Livy. Those who didn’t were recorded as villains. In at least one instance, Herodotus refused to name a villain, lest he give him immortality. History has rightly labeled those who do not follow the Golden Rule as oppressors, liars and thieves. Think about what a hypocrite is. He or she is someone who demands from another, that which they would never tolerate themselves, which clearly is not… doing unto another that which he or she would want done to them!
You have probably heard the old adage, “You can judge a person’s character by how he treats the help.” This also refers to the Golden Rule. Because someone who treats the help well, is treating them like she would like to be treated… were she the help. Doing unto another as you would have them do unto you. We all recognize this as virtuous behavior and see those who abuse waiters and staff as boorish… even as we might laugh at their childish antics out of social convention. Wouldn’t it be more civilized to follow the Golden Rule and point out such oafish behavior? Tolerating open abuse is to ignore the Golden Rule, since if you were being mistreated and were powerless to stop it, wouldn’t you want someone else to step in? The more outrageous the abuse the greater the imperative to intervene.
The Golden Rule presupposes a capacity for empathy. Empathy is the ability to see from another’s point of view. I believe it is a learned trait. Something we learn in our toddler years, and if we miss that open door, it remains closed for the rest of our lives. Nevertheless, it is empathy that allows one to reliably follow the golden Rule, and empathy comes from the heart. Empathy can be a double edged sword. If I were addicted to heroine, I would want legal and free heroine, but would that be the best for me? On the other hand, is it in an addict’s best interest, to keep heroine illegal, so fentanyl can leech into the supply of illicit heroine, and cause 70,000 overdose deaths in 2017? Moreover, is it our place to force another to follow our ethos, because we think it is best for them? Do we want others to do that to us?
Imagine a world where people applied the Golden Rule. It would be easy to start a business, have a family, your family would be safe while you are at work, crime would be very low, innovation would constantly improve our lives and people would have fulfilled existences, if a bit dull. How then do we get to this Nirvana, where everyone follows the Golden Rule and life is great? We start by following it ourselves. Lead by example. Goodness is more contagious than evil, since we are attracted to good, and repulsed by evil. Our examples will lead others to adopt the strategy for themselves, which will in turn change the actions, opinions and thoughts of others. Because, while society follows it’s leaders, they need not all be in government and media. Be good, be a leader and lead, by following the Golden Rule.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
