By
H. Kent Craig
“The Golden Rule”, the
premise/mandate/request/inclination that we treat all other human beings we encounter
in this life as we wish to be treated, is simultaneously the easier of all the
Laws Of God to understand and the hardest to follow/implement in our day-to-day
lives.
What could be easier than, before speaking or doing any words
or action to or for another human being , to visualize putting ourselves in
their place and then asking ourselves: “is this how I would wish to be
treated”?
Because of our ego, because of the need to make sure we have
adequate means to support our physical life and body and procreate our genes
through future generations, even the most saintly amongst us sometimes have
problems with treating a total stranger in the exact manner we would wish to be
treated in that given circumstance.
It’s
okay to have feelings of anger, disappointment, rage, irritation, etc. It is
not okay to act on those feelings out of fear or insecurity. It’s okay to say
“no” to anyone, at anytime, for any reason, without expectation of reprisal by
the party you’ve said no to.
Following
The Golden Rule means I, as a human being, must give you the absolute respect
and unconditional love, one of God’s created souls to another, that you
deserve. It does not mean that I
have to necessarily like you, want you as my friend, or invite you to dinner at
my house!
The
Golden Rule is far more about helping ourselves achieve a spiritual balance and
hopeful spiritual growth in tiny spurts than it is about mere secular civility
in our daily lives. Trying to follow The Golden Rule in a moment-by-moment
day-to-day basis is about relaxing and letting our natural inclinations to
recognize the divine presence of God in others take over than it is about a
forced measured discipline of attempting to do something we think might please
God but not necessarily ourselves. No one, not even God, especially not God,
can make you understand or follow The Golden Rule.
And
if you follow The Golden Rule in your everday life to the extreme, that does
not guarantee you any special spiritual chits in this life or the next. What it
does guarantee is that, if not immediately then over the longer-term of your
lifespan, you’ll have a calmer, happier, more joyful life.
Following The Golden Rule does not, can not, and will not tip the karmic scales of balance any more to the positive side than following any other law of God will or does. Following The Golden Rule does, can, and will help you understand that only you can control your own actions, that every single action or non-action definitely has and creates its own special set of consequences, and while living life in general means dealing with pain, hurt, heartache, and disappointment on a daily basis, following The Golden Rule, trying to live by it as best you can even though you’ll fail miserably in trying to do so at times, means that no matter what does or does not happen to you positively or negatively you’ll be more at peace with yourself, happier with yourself, more joyful that by merely consciously doing the right thing, following and obeying best you can The Golden Rule which is one of a handful of True Laws Of God, you’ll have become a little closer to Him.