by Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D.
The aspirations for peace and justice are as old as written human history, but the behaviors are not commensurate.
Tragically, the Golden Rule is easily dismissed and disregarded when importuned to pursue selfish aims.
If treated as arbitrary, the Golden Rule becomes a deceptive Sunday, Saturday, or Friday night comfort and parody.
Can you hear the plea: “If only they would follow what they preach!” Who preaches, who follows, who lives, who dies, who …….?
Religion at its best promotes the Golden Rule. See the message here, in 11 different religions.
“If you seek justice, choose for others what you would choose for yourself.” (Baha’i)
“One should seek for others the happiness one derives for one’s self.” (Buddhism)
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” (Christianity)
“What you do not want done to yourself, do not unto others.” (Confucianism)
“Do naught to others which if done to thee would cause pain.” (Hinduism)
“No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Islam)
“We should . . . refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us if inflicted upon ourselves.” (Jainism)
“What is hurtful to yourself, do not do to our fellow man.” (Judaism)
“As thou deemest thyself, so deem others.” (Sikkhism)
“To those who are good to me, I am also good; and to those who are not good to me, I am also good. And thus all get to be good.” (Taoism)
“Do as you would be done by.” (Zoroastrianism)
(Anthony j. Marsella – Adapted and Expanded from Steven Blessman)
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., a member of the TRANSCEND Network, is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Emeritus Professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, and past director of the World Health Organization Psychiatric Research Center in Honolulu. He is known nationally and internationally as a pioneer figure in the study of culture and psychopathology who challenged the ethnocentrism and racial biases of many assumptions, theories, and practices in psychology and psychiatry. In more recent years, he has been writing and lecturing on peace and social justice. He has published 21 books and more than 300 publications noted for challenging the ethnocentricity and biases of Western psychology and psychiatry, and for advocating peace and social justice. He can be reached at marsella@hawaii.edu.