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The
Golden Rule II
-Warmongers
and the golden rule
Saturday,
June 23, 2007
By
Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr,
While the human community awaits a policy decision by a few in
government to create an environment of justice for
serious abuses committed in Liberia, natural laws will
not be impaired by human frailties and prejudices in
executing justice for deliberate wrongs that harmed a
whole generation. Be it on a wider or limited scale,
celestial or terrestrial, the world is governed by
natural laws that are always in motion whether we
realized it or not.
Whether
you are like the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, founder
of American atheists who propounded disbelief in the
existence of the supernatural and creation, or like
the biblical scholars who attributed the creative
story of the earth solely to the artistic mastery of
the divine, or like Charles Darwin and his theory of
evolution, one truth stands out tall: “the
natural world runs a systematic course and responds to
its surroundings in such a way that every action of
man-a free moral agent, is bound to produce a
reaction. The thing is that, whether such reaction
is repugnant or otherwise is a factor of the
involuntary or simultaneous function of “Natural
laws.”
When
we believe a law to exist independently of the
‘positive law’ (man-made law) and that said law is
of a given political order, a nation-state, or
society, we become adherents of ‘jus naturale’, or
Natural Law as first introduced by Aristotle and later
developed within the Christian context by Saint Thomas
Aquinas.
By
the elucidation of this theory, what these gentlemen
actually confessed to is the fact that the moral
standards that govern the behavior of man are
objectively derived from his (man’s) nature. This is
also the perpetual course of the natural world in
which we all reside. That is, there are standards that
coerce every member of the natural family into
compliance for the continuity of the world. I call
this the reality of natural laws in universal scheme
of things. And we must not confuse natural law with
the laws of nature, which science aims to describe.
This is the undisputable orderliness of the natural world
though it may appear taciturn and sententious. The
natural world cannot reside outside rudimentary and
axiomatic laws. Likewise, since man himself cannot
exist independent of the natural, he is equally
affected by those laws governing that environment.
Henceforth, it is factual to argue that man, a product
of the application of basic laws, is subject to other
natural laws inevitable for his success or failure.
Therefore, success whether in sociopolitical terms or
unspecified scheme of things, is a product of how
these laws are embraced and treated (this does not
disregard the place of other human laws but rather
establishes homogeneity).
With such fait accompli, dipping deeper into a full dimensional
understanding of the functional realities of our
world, one comes to note that the law of reciprocity
or, simply “The Golden Rule” is an unavoidable
accomplice of every man.
The Golden Rule, Ethics of Reciprocity
As
the new world ascends the pinnacle of technological
advances, so are systems, religious groupings and
non-theistic arrangements. And the multiplication of
these systems and groupings run proportional to
emerging controversies, especially as regards
doctrinal and ethical issues. Hence, be it the
theistic, the non-theistic, the philosophies and other
systems, sharpening disagreements create an entrenched
divide. This divide deepens even much deeper when
considering the concepts of deity and other beliefs.
Notwithstanding,
in a particular area, there is near unanimity of
opinion amongst almost all religions, ethical systems
and philosophies that “each person should treat
others in a decent manner.” Almost all of the major
world religions, systems and philosophies have
passages in their ‘holy’ texts, or writings of
their leaders, which promote this Ethic of
Reciprocity. In some parts of the world, like North
America, it is commonly called the Golden Rule of
Christianity and is often expressed as “Do onto
others as you would wish them do onto you.”
Fortunately, when we “do unto others as we wish them do unto us” in
a positive way, it is almost certain that we will reap
similar gesture in return even if it is variables
unconnected to the actions that become involuntary
vessels of reciprocation. The other side of this coin however is, the trade of a negative to another is a seed
sown on fertile ground and is bound to yield its
bountiful fruits to the excruciation and agony of the
behavioral trader. This is the golden rule. It says,
one good turn deserves another and; the evil that man
does lives to confront him…
As
already stated, almost all of the major world
religions, systems and philosophies have passages in
their ‘holy’ texts, or writings of their leaders,
which promote this Ethic of Reciprocity. Let me bring
you excerpts of some of these passages of world
religions, philosophies and systems on “The Golden
Rule”:
Some philosophers' statements on the golden rule:
Socrates:
"Do not do to others that which would anger
you if others did it to you." (Greece; 5th
century BCE)
Epictetus:
"What you
would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on
others." (Circa 100 CE)
Plato:
"May I do to others as I would that they
should do unto me." (Greece; 4th
century BCE)
Kant:
"Act as
if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will
a universal law of nature."
"Golden
Rule" excerpts gleaned from the religious texts
of various religions and secular beliefs:
Brahmanism:
"This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught
unto others which would cause you pain if done to
you". Mahabharata, 5:1517”
Bahá'í
World Faith:"Ascribe
not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have
ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest
not." "Blessed is he who preferreth
his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah
Buddhism:"...a
state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how
could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta
NIkaya v. 353
Confucianism:
“Do not do to others what you do not want them to do
to you" Analects 15:23
Hinduism:
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what
would cause pain if done to you. Mahabharata 5:1517
Ancient
Egyptian: “Do
for one who may do for you, that you may cause him
thus to do." The Tale of the Eloquent
Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The
original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE
and may be the earliest version ever written.
Islam:
"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes
for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number
13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths."
"Do
not do to others what you do not want them to do to
you"
Analects 15:23; Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word
that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?'
Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' --
reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself
do not desire"; Try your best to treat
others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and
you will find that this is the shortest way to
benevolence." Doctrine of the Mean 13.3
Native
American Spirituality:
“Respect for all life is the foundation."
The Great Law of Peace."All things are our
relatives; what we do to everything, we do to
ourselves. All is really one." Black Elk
Yoruba:
(Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick
to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to
feel how it hurts."
Taoism:
Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your
neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai Shang
Kan Ying P'ien.
Sufism:
"The basis of Sufism is consideration of the
hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will
to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest
you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin
exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master
of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.
Jainism:
“Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence
to others nor does he make others do so."
Acarangasutra 5.101-2.
Judaism:"...thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Leviticus
19:18; "What is hateful to you; do not to your
fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is
commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a. "And
what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit
4:15 6
Christianity:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is
the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King
James Version. “And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke
6:31, King James Version…
This is but to
list several among many as there are many other
systems, religious beliefs and philosophies in whose
literatures you will find adherence to the Golden
Rule. Notwithstanding, it is wise to caution here that
my reference to these various religious, systems and
philosophical bodies must not be interpreted to mean
that I share in their tenets and beliefs. As a
Christian by spiritual identity, I had to necessarily
make the references so as to unravel the enormous
commonality existing amongst these segments.
Author's Note: This
article is a continuation of "The Golden Rule, I;
The Mark of Cain." Reading the entire article
from the beginning will enhance a greater
understanding. Watch out for Part III.
The actor,
Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., can be reached at godsprince2001@yahoo.com.
Cell: 00231-6626209. He resides in Monrovia and
Accra and is Chairman of the Forum for the
Establishment of a war Crimes Court in Liberia.
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