November 28, 2023: Today’s Challenges Call for Yesterday’s Wisdom

“Treat others as you would like to be treated.” An outdated, impractical call for conflict avoidance? Or, perhaps something more?

Essentially every religion in the world articulates a radically simple moral code, the Golden Rule. It hasn’t always been called the Golden Rule, and it’s been phrased in various ways, but the essential message of reciprocity has enjoyed broad appeal through the ages. 

It’s said that a student of Confucius asked, “Is there a single word which can serve as the guiding principle for conduct throughout one’s life?” Confucius said, “It is the word consideration. Do not impose on others what you do not desire others to impose on you.”

Jesus said, “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”

Hillel the Elder, a pivotal first century Jewish leader is credited in the Talmud (a record of rabbinic debates) as saying, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.”

In Islam, according to a Hadith (a collection of words and actions of the Prophet), “Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others that which you wish for yourself.”

It’s in secular spaces and philosophies as well. We see it everywhere, but looking around, it doesn’t seem to have accomplished much.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw criticized the Golden Rule saying, “Do not do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may be different.” This line of thinking has led to the development of what some refer to as the Platinum Rule. Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves. That is, don’t be so focused on your own desires to assume that everyone must want what you want. Treat them, rather, as they would be treated. But of course, this requires some level of intimacy, for how else could we ever truly know how another individual wants to be treated? Some have argued that the only safe bet is what has been called the Silver Rule. Do no harm. This principle is broadly applied in the field of medicine and other helping professions. 

Perhaps there is a certain appeal to these rules’ simplicity, but if our goal is to find a phrase for which we do not need to apply nuance, then we’ve failed. The call to “do no harm” is especially problematic in certain applications. At its core, it can be seen as a call to non-action. It is far too comfortable, in my opinion, with the idea that we do not engage in relationship with the other, or  that we don’t take the risks of justice-seeking. It doesn’t seem likely or even desirable that the Whitman community would set its sights on this sort of inaction. 

I suggest that what is needed in this moment is a deeper reading of the Golden Rule. Treating others as we would be treated is not a weak call to passivity. Rather, let us challenge others as we would be challenged, listen to others as we would be listened to, and stand up for others as we would be stood up for. Let us recognize the humanity of the other, as we would have our own humanity recognized. 

Applying the rule this way, I believe, helps us to create a tightly woven “community safety net” above which we can engage in the risky tightrope maneuvers of difficult dialogue and constructive conflict. It’s hard work up on that tight rope, but we can only move the needle if we believe that beneath us is that safety net in which our mutual recognition of each other’s worth and humanity is fully intact.

I believe, fundamentally, that we are in the business of growing—students for sure, but even old people like me. The moment we are in is part of that growth. This moment is an invitation to live a life characterized by an evolving understanding of the humane treatment of the other.