‽istis reclaims the golden
rule (weekending April 10th 2021)
At the end of the week which saw the ‘Golden Rule
Day’[i] (proclaimed as April 5th first back in 2007 by the United Religions
Initiative-Africa and the Interfaith Peace Building Initiative; UN declaration
pending), ‽istis ponders philosophy, religion, biology, sociology, psychology,
international relations, politics, social psychology, art, maths, economics,
evolution, literature, history, me, you and us… and just about anything and everything
across time and space… and is, quite
frankly exhausted and somewhat in despair!
The 2021 theme of ‘GRD’ was/is: ‘The Golden Rule
Connects all of Us’ and apparently over 700 organisations in 165 countries have
joined the proclamation: a statement of belief in ‘the value of the teaching of
the Golden Rule for a culture of peace, interfaith harmony, human dignity, and
co-existence to prevail on earth…’[ii]
The version of the rule used in the proclamation is
simple to type and read and remember: ‘Treat others the way you want to be
treated’ and, according to the proclamation apparently
‽ is a message: simple, universal
and powerful
‽ is the most powerful and
universal moral principle in human history
‽ is a tool for education about
respect and mutual esteem
‽ can play a major role in
promoting the culture of dialogue, can help develop understanding and trust –
the conditions of authentic peace
‽ and, ‘is accepted and
embraced throughout the world’
…apart from (perhaps, possibly, maybe) where and
when it isn’t…‽
‽istis has long had an interest in the idea of
the/a Golden Rule – an idea with a claimed rich and extensive heritage. Chapter
5 of Harry J. Gensler’s book: ‘Ethics and the Golden Rule’ (2013) presents a
chronology with c. 275 date-related references and comments (with references
and further reading galore in the extensive bibliography) – and many iterations,
variations, objections[iii], criticisms, expansions,
qualifications etc, etc. are noted and explored in the book. What Gensler calls
what ‘has been said to have the earliest known GR saying in it (with some
caution) is suggested as being an ‘Eloquent peasant’ story from Egypt in 1800BC
– and then follows a roll call of thinkers and writers from across pretty much
the recorded history of thinking and writing across the globe…
A quoted text from David Swing’s publication
‘Truths for Today’ in 1874 seems to sum up the view of many:
‘The golden rule underlies our
public and private justice, our society, our charity, our education, our
religion; and the sorrows of bad government, of famine, of war, of caste, of
slavery, have come from contempt of this principle.’
‽istis has also found two further springboards
into the world of the golden rule helpful:
·
work by Scarboro Missions and Paul
McKenna in Canada[iv]
exploring the religious roots and expressions of the Golden Rule (now generally
capitalised) – and the ‘Golden Rule poster’ aims to support interfaith dialogue
and shows (Venn diagram-style) the golden rule in the sacred writings of 13
faiths; accompanying resources for education, personal and community group use
are plentiful.
·
the initiative and movement that has
grown from Karen Armstrong’s 2008 award winning TED talk[v] - and the related development
of a ‘Charter for Compassion’[vi] which opens with this:
‘The principle of compassion lies
at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us
always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion
impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow
creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another
there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating
everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.’
With Gensler[vii], ‽istis wonders whether
the golden rule is ‘gold or garbage’. Gensler suggests that ‘GR can… be gold if
we live and apply it wisely…’
And here lies ‽istis’ problem with it. If it is so
widely recognised as perhaps a ‘golden thread’ through humanity’s space and
time; possibly a universal guide and may be even an ultimate panacea - then what
are the blocks and the barriers?, why are we still wishing for days and a world
‘with the golden rule grown natural’[viii] ?, how can we
understand, and tackle the challenging ‘if’, of ‘if we live and apply it…’
Despite the many formulations of ‘the golden rule’
(and the Venn diagram core that perhaps links so much that may be of good faith
- sacred and secular), we have the evidence of past and present circumstances
recorded and known directly and indirectly to me, you and us – individually and
together… Perhaps it is everything else
- cognition, affect and behaviour - that lies with-out the Venn diagram core
that is the problem?
For so many people, and possibly also for everything
else that has life and breath, past and present, so little has perhaps been
golden - and even ‘all that (actually) glisters is not gold’[ix] .
‽istis wonders, then, whether all that we have is just
proclamation, best intent, hopeful imagination, aspiration and occasional
glimmers?
So, despite the ‘Golden Rule Day’ and the
achievements of the ‘Charter for Compassion’ movement…
-
because these ponderings and questions
remain;
-
because ‽istis cannot help but think
that if there was/is a ‘Creator’ then she/he/it/they should have jolly well got
it right first time – or succeeded in any apparent later attempts[x];
-
because ‽istis
cannot help but think that if there wasn’t/isn’t a creator, then apparent other ‘laws’
and processes that drive and govern us seem so far from bringing days of gold
for so many, individually and together
then that is why, if only for this week, ‽istis is
in some despair and - perhaps, possibly, may be uncharacteristically - finds
the stone drinking vessel / the earthenware jar / the Grecian urn / the
rough-hewn wooden cup / the mediaeval pitcher / the chalice / the goblet / the tin mug / the
mass-produced teacup / the Styrofoam beaker / the soda can / the designer ‘keep-cup’
/ the recyclable paper cup / the glass (etc.[xi]) more half empty than
half full…
And, this week, ‽istis finds it hard to imagine
that things could be different‽
©
Pistis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme
and past blog
entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily
indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’:
@Pistis_wonders
[ii]
ibid
[iii]
Gensler identifies and addresses 34 ‘objections’…
[vii]
p.22 Routledge paperback edition: ISBN 978-0-414-80687-9
[viii]
William James 1902 – cited by Gensler
[ix]
William Shakespeare ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Act 2, scene 7
[x]
See, for example, salvation narratives such as Noah (humanity 2.0), Christ and
the message of Easter (humanity 3.0) – other salvation narratives and related routes
and methods are available…
[xi]
You might care to link a drinking vessel of choice to the date of a particuar
expression of ‘the golden rule?
