Thinking beyond ourselves is one of our greatest challenges. Ask anyone about the Golden Rule and they will tell you they support it, but in practice we often ignore it.
It is easy to accept that “doing onto others as you would like them to do onto you” is the right course of action in any situation. We might even feel a little smug about holding this belief, as though this differentiates us from the monsters we hear about in the nightly news. But the truth is that we often ignore the Golden Rule because to do what is required can be quite difficult.
When we harm others, we harm ourselves
There are times I struggle to be kind and generous towards others. This is particularly true when it comes to someone who has hurt or betrayed me. I am more likely to do onto to them and then split before they find out what I did.
We find a similar attitude in our American society today. It is easy to apply the “golden rule” to those who think like us, but when they believe differently, we judge them to be ignorant, heartless and evil.
What we cannot see is that the damage we do to others is damage we do to ourselves. This is not clear when we strike at those we dislike, because doing so can feel good—even satisfying—in the short term. But our bad actions can come back to us in unexpected ways.
The Golden Rule and the Law of Attraction
Here is that pesky Law of Attraction at work again. When we lash out at others with hatred, violence and revenge, the Universe/God will return the same energy back. You might not recognize this when it happens, but it does.
If you must believe it is justifiable to strike with hatred towards others because of what they do or believe in, then the Universe/God will send plenty of them you can abhor to your heart’s desire. The Universe will do so until you realize hating others accomplishes nothing. Only then will you be open to consider other options, like the Golden Rule.
Conclusion
It is easy to be kind towards the people we love; it is another matter to show the faces of love to those whom we would rather shun. This is exactly when the Golden Rule is most applicable.
The overwhelming majority of us don’t have the influence to change the world. If we truly want to make a difference, treating all in the way we would like them to treat us is the way to go. When we incorporate the Golden Rule into our lives, we change everything for the better.
Remember, paying gratitude for your life forward will reward you with much joy and contentment.
Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash
