The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule

By Siegrid Raible

When was the last time you were reminded to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” It’s a phrase I haven’t heard since I was a young girl. I was born six years after the end of WW II to immigrants from Germany. I am as the young folk today like to say, so last century. I heard the phrase again when Pope Francis while visiting the United States invoked what is known as The Golden Rule during a speech to a joint meeting of Congress.

In the speech the Pope spoke of a world confronted with a refugee crisis not seen since the Second World War. He reminded us that the millions fleeing oppression and war are not just numbers. They are people like you and me, seeking security and the opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families. Their search for a better life is also our pursuit. Pope Francis urged us to remember that we Americans are all, save for Native Americans, descendants of foreigners who migrated for various reasons to a new land with the dream of a new beginning. If we are more than just a number, which I believe we are, we must respect the dignity of each human life. We must then follow the moral directive which is the golden rule – a directive found in almost all religions, easy to understand and relate to – and act towards others as we would expect them to act towards us.

So in our interactions with each other let us pledge to follow this rule and to do unto one another what we would have done unto ourselves. And, in so doing let’s build that better peace-filled world we were meant to live in.

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