Carol Sager wrote:
> The comments on this thread are provocative,but I need help. -snip-
>
> Help me here with my thinking: Do unto others as you would have them to do
> unto you - makes YOU the sole Judge of what "others" would like (which I
> think is dangerous). I think it also leaves out the element of kindness
-snip-
Carol,
I appreciate your viewpoint on the topic. I think I might be able to offer
you some assistance on this one. The Golden Rule makes you responsible for
your own actions. It makes YOU the judge of what YOU do to others, based
upon YOUR OWN conscious understanding of how YOU YOURSELF would want to be
treated. To say it another way, it is an expression of the "I-THOU"
relationship at its purest, wherein you see and understand others to be
expressions of your OWN self. Instead of me-you, with YOU the OBJECT, it
is I and Thou, both subjects, personalized.
It is as if, on the way to the store, you had a person back into you in
your car. You might be upset, but not in the same way as when you discover
that your grandmother, whom you love so dearly, was the driver in the
other car. I'm certain you can think of many such situations. You think of
others perhaps as objects until you see them as PEOPLE, those you love,
cherished friends or relatives. THIS is the essence of the I-THOU
relationship, and the essence too of the Golden Rule. Look in the mirror,
see yourself as you would most love to be seen, and then deal with the
world as you cherish yourself. "As the drop is to the ocean, separate but
in essence the same." I hope this helps a little. Best wishes in your
daily application of this principle.
--Regards, John Constantine Rainbird Management Consulting Santa Fe, NM http://www.trail.com/~rainbird
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>