Guiding Principles
Part III – The Golden Rule
By Rebecca Harris, MS, LPC, CEAP

My guess is that many people think that “The Golden Rule” is a religious philosophy for morality. Actually it is, but that’s not its origin, just the adopted code of moral standard for most religions of the world. All of the major religions have an adaptation of “The Ethic of Reciprocity” in their written documents and preach the tenets of “Do not to others do to which would cause pain if done unto you.”¹

Way before the arrival of Jesus, people had figured out that in order to accomplish things and be successful they needed to work together to get things done. That’s not to say they always agreed or were friends, but the underlying moral code was learning to work it out respectfully, and valuing the contributions of the others.

It is widely believed that the Greek philosophers played a role in what was to be known as the Golden Rule as is taught today in religious organizations. Socrates (469BC-399 BC) equated knowledge with virtue believing that a truly wise man will know right from wrong, do what is right, and therefore be happy.

Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) believed that self-realization, the awareness of one’s nature and the development of one’s talents was the goal to happiness. This was difficult to achieve, because for him, virtue consisted of “doing the right thing, to the right person at the right time, to the proper extent, in the correct fashion, for the right reason.”

In today’s society, these principles may be hard to achieve, because of how we define what the “right thing” is. For many of us, we’re used to the parameters set by our government, (the death penalty debate is a moral dilemma), our culture or affiliations, (You don’t talk outside the ‘family’), or our workplace (corporate compliance). Defining each of these ideals in some measurable and meaningful way helps to formulate a civil society. We want to know what the standard is.

The following is attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea, and poses some thought for reflection.

“May I gain no victory that harms me or my opponent.
May I reconcile friends who are mad at each other.
May I, insofar as I can, give all necessary help to others in need.
May I never fail a friend in trouble”.²

Next week will pay tribute to the guiding principles of Thanksgiving. Is it more to you than a day off? What are you thankful for?
¹Ancient Egypt-9th or 10th Dynasty (c. 2040-1650 BCE).
²http://zenhabits.net

Call Solutions EAP at 1-800-526-3485 for assistance for all of life's challenges.
It’s free, confidential and open to your family members.
Check us out on-line at
http://www.solutions-eap.com
George "Bud" Wassell, M.S., LPC, CEAP
Director, Solutions EAP
213 Court Street
Middletown, CT 06457
1-800-526-3485
fax: 860-704-6221
www.solutions-eap.com