the bottom line of all religion and spirituality--------is--------how you treat other people…and how you treat youself…
the way you behave is where its at-----------the rest of it can go to hell…thank you
And from where does each person get such instruction?
… deducing and feelings from the chaos?
from themselves …you treat others like you would want to be treated…and do no harm…
Turtle: yes, but how can you learn this behavior? If from your elders or your own studies actions still have to be correlated with what you learn. And an additional problem is, that what you learn can be based on less then critical thinking, and result in rote behavior with a lot of built in assumptions being the instrument of those behaviors.
The bottom line for religion seems maybe to be much more multi varied, as william James suggests. However granted, behavior is immeasurably more important: for instance, an act of kindness toward a less fortunate trumps a lot of empty rethink , even on the pulpit.
we already have learned it…the question is how do we teach it without religious institutions…the golden rule can be taught anywhere…most people wont follow it anyways and for them we have the justice system and the police…
Does anyone NOT spot the flaw in this formulation? (The flaw should be obvious.)
A) Where did you get that idea?
B) Why do you believe it?
C) You are aware that many other’s don’t right? So what do they do?
a----i dont really know
b----i want to be treated good
c----most people dont behave this way—i cant do anything about it
And more importantly, like the rest of us, you don’t know who to listen to.
That is what has been causing all of the conflict, “knowing who to believe/listen to”.
Thus it all continues as before, merely more technological now.
no james----i listen to myself…
How does anyone, in the West at least, manage to do no harm?
He who listens only to himself, hears only the echoes of others within a dark cave.
Seeing no others, he takes what he hears for being himself.
OH, I know, I know, I know! I-…
Oh no, oh no, … alright, what?
It is, first, last and always, “how you treat other people.”
Hey! For once, we agree completely. What about the,
part?
For some of us, our self-contempt–and the behaviour that is it’s symptom–require that we treat others by some other standard.
For some, the “self” is quite a burden and must be relieved of the burden of self.
The bottom line–if I may be so presumptuous–is that these others preclude the generalized statement found in the OP–other than, “… is … how you treat other people.
…”
I agree with turtle on this. By this standard we don’t even need a god. We just need honesty with our self.
The only exception to this golden rule are people that like to be hurt. Then if they treat people like they want to be treated they will hurt others.
That is just brilliant!!!
Not to get in this debate again, but scherado you’re making sense, Moreno too.
And self loathers will hate others … and those with faults will find fault in others …
I tell ya that this golden rule thing ain’t all golden … There are all kinds out there … and do unto others as you would have them do unto you can get pretty messy … to even “golden” showers, and the like … whips and chains.
And if we waterboard them … they will waterboard us. Do unto others as you would them to you can get pretty sick …
That is only because you are reading it wrongly.
It means that you want people to treat you as you wish, so treat others as they wish.
Treat others as they wish long enough and you’ll wish you weren’t cleaning others’ toilettes.
Repeatedly.
I became curious about the other person and found only this:
What’s the answer for this only in the West?