The great religions of the world and many philosophers share thinking about respect and love. This column discusses the Golden Rule, the law of mercy, the avoidance of scapegoating and the implementation of higher love.
Generally, the highest being or gods deserve and demand our love, primarily. However, many faiths unite that right behind this first command is a second, summarized as to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. This law of universal love is different from romantic love. It is a higher love that teaches many things. Among its aspects is the related notion that one should do to others as one would want them to do to oneself. Stated negatively, it includes the idea that one should not do to others what one wouldn’t want others to do to oneself.
It begins to sound like a word game or logic problem. But don’t go there. These simple laws and commands capture human nature and its possibilities well. They’re possibilities of respect and love transcending all aspects or the accidents of ourselves and our existence.
When one thinks of mercy, of treating those in need as they need it, in helping others, we emulate the Golden Rule. To be merciful calls on us to understand what it would be to need mercy. To do mercy means to understand what it is to need mercy. Many philosophers and good books say that when one is on high, in whatever context, one must remember what it is not to be on high but in the opposite condition. The rich must understand the homeless. The powerful must understand those who are less powerful. The good must not be afraid to know those whose lives are challenged morally.
The Confucian scholars and classics, on which much of Korean culture is based, also enshrine these selfsame ideas through the prohibition of scapegoating and the injunction to aid mutual development. One should not treat those above us in a station of life as we would not want to be treated by those behind us. Likewise, one should not treat one’s juniors or those below us as we wouldn’t want our superiors to treat us.
I sometimes fear that contemporary notions of sociability view these ancient ideas as antique or antiquated. Too many pathways, folkways and norms are rule-governed or norm-governed without the Golden Rule. Indeed, that is why conflict, strife, death, war and all manner of evils are resilient in our world. There is much that goes on by way of breaking faith in the law of universal love.
So, in turn, these maxims and rules of universal love need and deserve to be upheld. We must adapt them to meet contemporary ways of thinking and acting. The ongoing life of universal respect and love, though part of the truth of life, doesn’t happen automatically or necessarily. No tool of humanity guarantees its just use, not in any necessary sense. The task of moral education remains vital and urgent.
I recently attended a meeting on the influence of bias in higher education peer evaluations for a regional accrediting body’s annual conference. The presenters sensitively discussed many aspects of the Golden Rule and the meaning of righteous behavior in avoidance of scapegoating. We must realize that all people are biased. Reconizing our bias enables us to control it or, at minimum, to realize how many ways of thinking situate scapegoating and un-golden behaviors if we aren’t self-aware and actively controlling for it. We shouldn’t force our precommitments or values when acting with or concerning others, certainly not alone, but we also must understand others’ values, ideas and precommitments. Before there can be acceptance of others as they would want to be accepted, there is first respect and tolerance of what is different, even altern, alien, or dare one say opposed, to avoid scapegoating and to act in a way that acknowledges others in their needs – in a phrase to be a giver and receiver of mercy as mutual regard and mutual respect.
Steve Winwood and Chaka Khan sang “Bring Me a Higher Love.” At this time of wars in Ukraine, Gaza and all manner of domestic concerns as to violence, loss and need, the call to exercise the Golden Rule and its cousins in faiths and philosophies long-standing shines above us. May we see this light and follow it.
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and academic services and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.
Respect and love
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0
21.04.2024
The great religions of the world and many philosophers share thinking about respect and love. This column discusses the Golden Rule, the law of mercy, the avoidance of scapegoating and the implementation of higher love.
Generally, the highest being or gods deserve and demand our love, primarily. However, many faiths unite that right behind this first command is a second, summarized as to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. This law of universal love is different from romantic love. It is a higher love that teaches many things. Among its aspects is the related notion that one should do to others as one would want them to do to oneself. Stated negatively, it includes the idea that one should not do to others what one wouldn’t want others to do to oneself.
It begins to sound like a word game or logic problem. But don’t go there. These simple laws and commands capture human nature and its possibilities well. They’re possibilities of respect and love transcending all aspects or the accidents of ourselves and our existence.
When one thinks of mercy, of treating those in need as they need it, in........
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