Ce Soir ou Jamais

tonight I write...or never

Saturday, April 2

The Golden Rule

Today I missed it- the Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on the door to ask if I have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. (I'm a self proclaimed Jewish Buddhist so the answer would be No.)

I always thought it was an urban myth: people who were true believers in the big JC, dressed in their finest, knocking on doors to read scripture and hope to convert the lost. But no, it is a reality! This morning, while I was out with my daughter, 2 women came a knocking. After being yelled at by the dog, they asked my husband if they could read him a piece of scripture about Jesus Christ and the Golden Rule. He said that he did not have time as he literally just got out of the shower and needed to go to work. He also told them he appreciated their kind thoughts and wished them a pleasant day.

The Golden Rule is found in nearly all writings, or scriptures, of just about every religion:

Bahá'í:
"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."
Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, 71
Buddhism:
"Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
- Udana-Varga, 5:18
Christianity:
"All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
Matthew 7:12
Confucianism:
"Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you."
Analects 15:23
Hinduism:
"This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you."
Mahabharata 5:1517
Islam:
"No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself."
- Sunnah
Jainism:
"In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self."
- Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara
Judaism:
"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the law: all the rest is commentary."
Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Native American:
"Respect for all life is the foundation."
The Great Law of Peace
Sikhism:
"Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone."
- Guru Arjan Devji 259, Guru Granth Sahib
Zoroastrianism:
"That nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self."
Dadistan-i-Dinik, 94:5

I am glad that there were nicely dressed women going door to door, taking a moment to remind of this global principle. With the world interacting as it does, it's time to we realized the impact our actions have on the lives of others.

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