7 Questions
an aid in making
Positive Choices
About the 7
Questions -
These
7 Questions are drawn from the Golden Rule as written in the life
affirming faiths and philosophies of the world. They are intended to help
develop our moral intuition, and to encourage us to become more
deliberate in the application of the Golden Rule in our daily lives.
The
Golden Rule has been written in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different
ways. All sharing a common grounding in mutuality, that universal
relationship that the ancient Greeks called agapé.
Through this Principle of Mutuality, the choices we make, like the
proverbial ripples in a pond, flow outward from us to the "other" and
beyond.
The 7
Questions are a tool to help us understand our choices in the context of
that image. They are, in reality, one question, applied to ever widening
circles of relationship.
Using the 7 Questions -
The
Questions are not intended as a scorecard. However, a good place to start
in your practice of using them is to simply see how many times you can
answer "Yes" in response to them.
At
first, it may seem simple. However, as you begin to reflect more deeply on
the relationship symbolized in each question, you may find that the
exercise takes more consideration than you had first thought.
Each
of the 7 Questions starts identically -
Will this decision positively affect:
-
The "other" (that person or part of Creation most directly touched by
your choice)
-
You
-
Those closest to the "other"
-
Those closest to you
-
Your shared community (neighborhood, workplace, organization)
-
Other communities (beyond you and the "other")
-
The world/environment/Creation
Don't
force it. Like exercising any other muscle, beefing up our moral intuition
can be painful. And its hard work But it's worth it.
The
more we exercise our moral intuition, the more deliberate we become in
using it.
The more deliberate we are, the closer we are to creating a Golden Rule
world.
Comments?
If you find
value in the 7 Questions, I'd very much like to hear from you.
Please
email your comments.
Discussion?
