Faith: The Golden Rule is about being selfless and being of service to others

The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as you want to be treated. In Christianity, this rule is found in Matthew 7:12 as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and it states: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do unto you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Alternatively, in Luke 6:31, we read, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

The negative form of the Golden Rule, also known as the Silver Rule, states, “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.” These two rules are the foundations of all religions in one form or the other.

I recall the story of the gentile who challenged Rabbi Shammai and Rabbi Hillel to explain to him the Torah while he was standing on one foot. Whereas Shammai dismissed the man, Hillel took on the challenge and gently chastised the man, saying: “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary. Go and learn.”

It is not by chance that the Golden Rule or its negative, the Silver Rule, are the cornerstone of most religions. There is even a Golden Rule Day on April 5, when we are reminded to treat others and the planet as we would like to be treated.

There are similar ideas in my faith tradition, in the Quran and the Hadith, which is a collection of maxims of the Prophet. A well-known Hadith narrates, “None of you will truly believe until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”

Another Hadith narrates that, on one occasion, a Bedouin came to the Prophet, grabbed the stirrup of the saddle on his camel and said, “Teach me something that I might go to heaven by doing it.” The Prophet replied: “As you would have people do to you, do to them, and what you dislike being done to you, don’t do to them. Now, let go of the stirrup.” In other words, the Prophet was telling the Bedouin that the Golden and Silver rules were enough. All he had to do was go and act in accordance with them!

For Muslims, the Quran is the ultimate authority in providing religious knowledge and guidance. If we look closely inside the various chapters, we find that this scripture is infused with many verses that are based on the Golden or Silver rules.

For example, in Chapter 24, Verse 22, the Quran urges the wealthy to donate to their poorer brethren and to forgive others who trespass against them. In Chapter 88, Verses 1-4, the Quran chastises someone who always demands a fair share as a buyer but defrauds others as a seller. In Chapter 4, Verses 8-9, the Quran demands to treat other people’s orphans with kindness and justice just as if they were one’s own children.

In the Abrahamic traditions, the Golden and Silver rules are revolutionary concepts when they are applied to the extreme case of the stranger who is different from us because of ethnicity, language, religion, etc. These rules teach us empathy toward the “other.” Empathy is different from sympathy. It is a nobler emotion that requires one to temporarily suspend one’s own emotions and experiences when dealing with the “other.”

It may be argued that most intercultural, interreligious and interracial conflicts stem from the inability of some of us to empathize with the “other.” Without empathy, a person cannot temporarily suspend one’s own stereotypes and prejudices when evaluating the “other.” Being able to “walk in someone else’s shoes” is at the core of empathy.

One justifiably may argue that what is needed most in a multicultural and pluralistic society is the presence of empathy among its members. The world would be a much better place if we applied the Golden and Silver rules to each other and stopped being so judgmental toward each other. We would learn to empathize with others whose reality may be different from ours.

It is important to understand that the Golden Rule is not about manipulating others to obtain what one desires. It is not about one’s self. It is about treating others thoughtfully and with respect, as you would like them to treat you. The principle of the Golden Rule is ultimately about selfless service to others, without expecting anything in return.

Karen Armstrong, a well-known religious author who has been hosted many times in Boise and Sun Valley, said, “The Golden Rule is not an option – it’s the key to our common survival.”