Essay On The Golden Rule

Throughout all the centuries of war and violence, one law has persevered through the undercurrent of the history of mankind. The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This rule, in its two forms (the positive and the negative), is found in every major world religion and many minor, lesser known ones. I want to briefly explore The Golden Rule through several of these religions and hopefully discover what it means to me.
When most people think of The Golden Rule, they automatically think of Jesus when he said, “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) The Golden Rule can be found elsewhere in the Bible in another form. “And you shall love thy neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31)
The Golden Rule can be found in the other Western religions as well. In Judaism, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary." (Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a) Also in Islam, which has been under some scrutiny due to some recent events, the Prophet Muhammed is attributed to saying, 'Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself." (Hadith)
The Golden Rule has a long history, but we don't live in the Bronze Age anymore, and it seems, in this era, that The Golden Rule has become a broken law, something of a suggestion like speed limits and drinking ages. To me, The Golden Rule is very simple. If I want people to treat me well, I must treat others well. There are so many cliche sayings regarding this. "What goes around, comes around." "You reap what you sow." "You get what you give."
The Golden Rule just comes down to common sense, pure and simple. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Unfortunately, other human traits interfere with this sense of reciprocity. Jealously, lust, and desire all lead to senseless acts of atrocity.