The Golden Rule

030/365

Out with the old, in with the new...

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The Golden Rule is for fools too self-involved to consider how other people wish to be treated. You can’t love someone how you want to be loved. In a world full of distinct individuals how can it be safely asserted that everyone is going to want to receive love the way you do? The positive principle is there, but the message is murky nonetheless. It teaches people to be selfish and oblivious to the needs of others. The philosophy fails to teach empathy; a necessary ability in the manifestation of honest human connection.

Empathy is very simply taking a walk in someone else’s shoes, not to be mistaken with sympathy which involves feelings of pity. See, while sympathy takes sides empathy doesn’t. To show empathy towards another person does not mean you have to agree with their opinion or situation. It doesn’t mean that you must like what they are saying or doing. At the end of the day after you’ve tried those shoes on, they’re going right back on the feet of the person you borrowed them from. What matters most is that you tried.

And in trying maybe you discover that they’re uncomfortable. That maybe they’re just too big or too small. Are tattered with holes and scuffmarks, have little support, and are literally falling apart. It is quite possible that in this discovery you will gain some understanding of this individual’s perspective and hopefully be a little more sensitive to their frame of reference. Each person’s experiences are unique, therefore; a great deal of knowledge can be gained by choosing to view the world from different angles.

 One of the most profound things to say is: “I never looked at it that way”. It infers inner growth and wisdom. It shows that not only did you open your mind’s eye to the other’s perception, but also that you are consciously expanding on your own. And perception is everything so, the more it is expanded upon the greater power you will have, the greater love you will be able to give, the greatest love you will then be able to receive. Look deep within yourself to find out who you are, how you wish to be loved, and then reciprocate the process for your loved ones. Scratch the ‘Golden Rule’ that’s the olden rule. Empathy rules now.