The Golden Rule

A Detailed Examination

Using "What if...?"

Introduction

God's laws, and laws of character, are not arbitrary. The basic ideas of the Golden rule are found in many religions and life philosophies. The Golden Rule is presented in this essay because it is the most widely know in this society.

These expressions of life law are not given to us without good reason. We can gain insight into them by going through some "what if..." thinking.

The "What if...?" method can be applied to many situations and ideas. It is a powerful and easy to use thinking tool. It helps you to look at different sides or possibilities of one thing. When we look at only one side, we are more likely to make a poor choice. When using the method, try to imagine all possible factors, and apply "What if...?" thinking to them individually.

Example: Is The Golden Rule a very good Life-Rule? Let's apply "What if...?" to it.

What if every human followed the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." What would life be like? Think about this question long and hard!

• People would be honest with each other.
• You could trust people.
• People would endeavor to keep their promises.
• There would be no bullies.
• Crime would disappear.
• No one would cheat in games or on tests.
• People would go out of their way to help you when you have problems or illness.
• There would be no wars.

But what if you follow the golden rule while others do not? Doesn’t that leave you open to be hurt?

No, not necessarily.

• The Golden rule is about YOUR behavior, not about other people’s behavior.
• It doesn’t tell you to believe that other people will follow it.
• So while following the Golden Rule you can still also be careful to protect yourself.

What if you follow the Golden Rule? What will be the benefits to you?

You will become known as a person who can be trusted. This is a good Life-Goal.

People will respect you more (a good Life-Goal) because you respect THEM. People will know you can be relied upon to do what you promise. You will be admired and respected. All of this leads to being entrusted with more tasks of greater importance. This means better jobs, more pay, more respect from others, greater influence, and more respect for yourself. Your life becomes really meaningful!

Following the Golden Rule will help you reach the following Life-Goals:

• Respect yourself,
• Respected by others,
• Reliable,
• Admired,
• Trusted,
• Accepted by others,
• Influence to others,
• Make good living.

What if you don’t follow the Golden Rule? What would happen to you if you did the opposite by living your life taking advantage of other people?

You might gain a momentary advantage of some sort, but in the long run people will soon learn that you cannot be trusted. You will lose their respect. You will not be given as many opportunities where you can prove your capabilities and knowledge. Advancement through your career will be much slower, because you can’t be trusted with new responsibilities. People will view you as hurtful and as someone to avoid. You will be labeled as a person of “No Class.”

Being the opposite of what the Golden Rule asks of you will result in not reaching the Life-Goals. You will likely:

• NOT Respect yourself,
• NOT be Respected by others,
• Be viewed as UNreliable,
• NOT be Admired,
• NOT be Trusted,
• NOT be Accepted by others,
• NOT be able to Influence others,
• NOT make as good of a living.

NOT following the Golden Rule is like shooting yourself in the foot. Both result in self-inflicted pain!

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Conclusion

 

The Golden Rule is a very good Life-Rule.

It is a very good rule to guide one's self through life. Long ago I chose to live by the Golden Rule.

 

Mr. Andrews

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As of: 18 Dec '02