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The key to ethics can be found in The Golden Rule

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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, The Golden Rule.

The wise guy says, "What about a masochist? He would tie people up and whip them because that is what he would want them to do to him."

This is a lame interpretation. The rule is not about idiosyncrasy. The rule is about the general way you treat people. You don't like people to make you feel bad so you don't make other people feel bad.

I'm sure those people in the financial markets who were responsible for the loss of pensions and jobs would feel bad if they lost their pensions and jobs. They did not obey The Golden Rule.

Jesus and Hillel were big proponents of The Golden Rule.

There are other rules that that if followed would make life a lot easier. "Turn the other cheek." for example. Or just walk away even would be better than retaliation.

But retaliation is a part of our culture. We are told from our earliest years that if a kid hits us, hit him, or her as the case may be, back.

Thus feuds and vendettas arise. Thus the popularity of western movies. John Wayne movies in particular.

And yet Gandhi extracted India from the British Empire by turning the other cheek. Jesus was a big proponent of turn the other cheek.

I might note that both of these rules require acknowledging that people other than you exist.

Since people don't like it when someone steals from them, The Golden Rule would imply that people would not steal. Since people don't like to be cheated, following The Golden Rule would imply that people would not cheat...or lie...hurtful stuff like that.

Since politicians don't like to be slandered it would follow from The Golden Rule that they would not slander their opponents.

It seems to me that no reasonable system of government can work unless the citizens more or less believe in these two ethical principles. The absence of these two rules is why Russian Communism didn't work and why Chinese Communism is riddled by corruption. And it's why capitalism in the United States is seeing dark days. Capitalism would work great if the people who handled the money followed the two rules.

Society tries to fill this ethicat hole with laws that close gates after the horses are gone a never-ending series of sates to close too late. Horse thieves are always finding new ways to rustle the herd. In much the same way financial wise guys are always finding ways to get around the laws.

Thus Spake The Old Fogy leaving for Walmart to get the $40 he had lost and was turned into lost and found.



Copyright 2010 The Malakoff News, Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 The Malakoff News Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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