Home | Articles/Blog | Meditation | Forum | Workshops/Speaking | About | Links

One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated - Jainism .... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - Christianity .... None of you truly believes until you want for others what you want for yourself - Islam .... Treat not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful - Buddhism .... What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbour - Judaism ....
For more Golden Rule statements, click here

Q&A
What is -
the Golden Rule
the Ethic of Reciprocity
Agape

Illusions

January 28, 2007

We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness   --- Thich Nhat Hanh (Buddhist monk and peace activist)

 Seeing the world as an "illusion" has always been a struggle for western cultures. Drawing more on the reasoning of Greek philosophy than the spirituality of mystical belief, we have come to be skeptical of those things that we cannot see or touch, even as we claim faith in them.

 Without seeing all things as interconnected, we have little incentive to value anything that doesn't appear to impact us directly and immediately. We have known for years that the climate was changing. But it wasn't until the wind and waves were destroying our homes, until the winters became wilder outside our windows, and until the summers began to kill our neighbours with heat, that we noticed.

 Let us hope that perhaps now that we have noticed, we will look around us and recognize that, as Nhat Hahn suggests, its time to awaken to the interconnectedness of all things.

to comment, please email comment@goldenruleradical.org

I welcome opportunities to speak to groups of all kinds about the universality of the Golden Rule.
Please Click Here to discuss a speaking opportunity or to inquire about hosting a Golden Rule workshop.