Back in 2018, I was hired by a tiny organization in Salt Lake City, Utah, called Golden Rule Project. I was their Project Coordinator, and my main job was to come up with sustainable ideas to bring more awareness to the Golden Rule.
How would I spread this wonderful principle? How did the Golden Rule come to be? What would the world look like if we all thought about the Golden Rule daily? Where can I observe de Golden Rule? How can I put it into practice? How can I reach people AND get them to think more about the Golden Rule? How is it that in most religions the Golden Rule is a core principle without it necessarily being practiced, nor are religions often able to find common ground with other religions? Should I make blankets with the Golden Rule? What about events? Golden Rule booth at the farmer's market? 24-hour-long online celebration of the Golden Rule on Golden Rule Day, anybody? (hahaha)
What I didn't realize was that, having been hired to think about the Golden Rule daily, even hourly, it created a permanent change in my brain and the way I think, behave, and rationalize when presented with new situations and information. I was slower to rush to conclusions. I became interested in hearing the other side before I got upset. I learned that I don't know much about anything, and most other humans don't either. I learned that in order to know how to treat others, I needed to learn how I like to be treated, which led me to self-explore and determine my likes and dislikes, and my infinite value as a creature in this universe, and understand that I share that same value with everyone else. Why wouldn't I practice the Golden Rule?! :)
Once I started working at the Charter for Compassion, I was once again welcomed with the Golden Rule and its power to bring compassion to everyone that takes it to heart. I love thinking about the Golden Rule. I can't help to fantasize about what the world would be like if our presidents, mayors, legislators, and other community leaders had to get in-depth training on the Golden Rule, Empathy, Compassion, Mindfulness, and Self-Love. And if everyone in such positions were to get daily reminders and training on how to relate to and work with other community leaders to solve issues like climate change, discrimination, equality and equity, poverty, homelessness, the refugee crisis, etc. How many issues would be solved? What would schools be like if principals, teachers, and other staff kept the Golden Rule in mind daily? Would those spaces that are especially unsafe, where bullying and survival of the popular reign, become safe for someone "different?"
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This past Golden Rule Day (on April 5), I wrote a blog entry titled: "The one problem of the Golden Rule", and instead of sharing it with everyone, I told readers to reach out to me directly, and I'd be available to chat about it. I received a surprising number of emails. Almost all of them became opportunities to delve deeper into the concept of the Golden Rule, about caring, and learning about oneself, and I loved communicating with all these people.
Carl Karasti was one of the people who reached out to me. He and I conducted an email exchange for a couple of weeks with insane insights and thought-provoking statements. Carl had a lot to say about the Golden Rule, and I thought that more people ought to be able to read what he wrote me.
I asked him if he would like to be a guest blog writer for the Charter, and here we are, with our new "Extended Contemplations on The Golden Rule: A Blog Series."
It is exciting to have Carl share his insights on the Golden Rule, provoke more thoughts, and create community with other Golden Rule nerds in the Charter for Compassion's microcosm.
Carl is excited to write more and inspire others as he explores and shares deeper concepts and relationships between the Golden Rule and our daily lives.
I invite you to read, share, and email us both with your reaction. This project, like most new projects, will be tested for a few months to see where it leads. I hope we can create community with these blogs and solidify other ideas and projects as Carl's words inspire us.
If you feel like sharing anything about the Golden Rule with us, I would love to hear from you. Connect with me via email at felipe@charterforcompassion.org.
This week we'll share the first blog. Enjoy!
With love,
- Felipe
