The Golden Rule

informed are constantly attracting trouble and grief and hatred and opposition from others by their unguarded words and destructive acts. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you! We have heard that injunction expressed thousands of times, yet how many of us understand the law upon which it is based? To make this injunction somewhat clearer it might be well to state it more in detail, about as follows: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, bearing in mind the fact that human nature has a tendency to retaliate in kind. Confucius must have had in mind the law of retaliation when he stated the Golden Rule philosophy in about this way: 27 Do not unto others that which you would not have them do unto you. And he might well have added an explanation to the effect that the reason for his injunction was based upon the common tendency of man to retaliate in kind. Those who do not understand the law upon which the Golden Rule is based are inclined to argue that it will not work, for the reason that men are inclined toward the principle of exacting an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which is nothing more nor less than the law of retaliation. If they would go a step further in their reasoning they would understand that they are looking at the negative effects of this law, and that the selfsame law is capable of producing positive effects as well. In other words, if you would not have your own eye plucked out, then insure against this misfortune by refraining from plucking out the other fellows eye. Go a step further and render the other fellow an act of kindly, helpful service, and through the operation of this same law of retaliation he will render you a similar service. And, if he should fail to reciprocate your kindness - what then? You have profited, nevertheless, because of the effect of your act on your own sub-conscious mind! Thus by indulging in acts of kindness and applying, always, the Golden Rule philosophy, you are sure of benefit from one source and at the same time you have a pretty fair chance of profiting from another source. It might happen that you would base all of your acts toward others on the Golden Rule without enjoying any direct reciprocation for a long period of time, and it might so hap