The 'Gold Rule' is partially responsible for Evil. If you yourself want to be worshipped all day, then the golden rule forces you to do that to others. Worshipping (Ass kissing) of others in favour of being real and dealing with real emotional responses is part of what is empowering evil on Earth. How far would serial child rapist and friend to the world's 'leaders', Jeffrey Epstein, have gotten without so many people keeping quiet due to their consistent ass kissing of him due to his perceived wealth and 'power'? The reality is that everyone is unique and has different needs - if we are to be truly respectful we must treat others in a way that has balance for all involved, not just blanketly treating everyone the way that we determine we want or need.
The obvious major denials that exist in the 'golden rule' regarding unhealthy projection of 'rightness' onto others based on our own thinking can get much worse. Would it be surprising if a serial torturer cited the Golden Rule in justification for their behaviour? If someone, for their own reasons, decides that self abuse is what they need or want, then the golden rule gives justification for torturing and abusing others.. After all, 'what's good for you is good for everyone' - right? Obviously, not.
More denial from apologists
This error in the 'Golden Rule' has been pointed out by numerous philosophers over the centuries and the main counter seems to have been that anyone using the rule needs to realise that people want to be treated how THEY themselves want to be treated and so you 'should' also want to be treated how YOU choose to be.. So.. therefore, you should treat other people how THEY want to be treated because you should want that for yourself too!
This is way too much mental gymnastics for me! This manipulation effectively drastically changes the meaning of the 'rule' in a way which could have been spelled out from the beginning but wasn't. The rule is literally reversed by this adaptation into 'do unto others as they would have you do to them' - which is an invitation for slavery, given that many people would happily have you slaving for them.
A truly golden rule is one that is truly golden, which to me means one that always works and is flawless. This is not that rule.
The Ultimate Snake Oil
As I have written about many times, life is far more complex than can be handled by simple rules. Only the most basic and absolutely open of the rules that we can create will continue to remain valid and there aren't many of them. The 'golden rule' has forced countless well meaning people into states where they have become unconscious servants of.. of what? Actually not servants of love at all, since love does not deny real needs - they have become servants of guilt or worse.
If you are forced to treat others in ways that fit in with your own preferences, you will either be forced to deny your own real needs to try to find a false 'equality' with literally everyone on Earth, or you will end up taking a lot of unpleasantness from other people in the name of being 'spiritual'. Both of these options invite massive denials into your life and damage your emotional systems and personal evolution. Effectively, the golden rule derails human destiny paths while being sold as a panacea - it is the ultimate snake oil.
So How to Have Real Balance?
MOVEMENT! MOVEMENT times infinity!
REAL emotional movement allows for felt responses to your real needs to guide you in your choices, how you respond to others and who you interact with. Freedom of association and free will are intended to allow us to have experiences that we are ready for and to reject those we are not ready for or do not want/need in life. We all feel differently and have different needs, which themselves are changing regularly. There is no way to know in advance how this energetic landscape will be structured into the future, so we must feel and emotionally move in response to current circumstances, understanding why we are attracted to certain experiences in that process and adapting our treatment of others accordingly.
When we are being emotionally real, it may often be the case that the people around us are not meeting our needs and may not even be able to meet our needs. If this is the case, there is no amount of self denial that we or they can agree to cause in ourselves that will result in reciprocal relationship of the kind that the 'Golden rule' claims to introduce.
If you want/need respect and if, to you, that means 'being listened to' and 'not being overpowered', then it may be the case that no amount of listening to others and not overpowering others will end their own attempts at overpowering you. Instead of denying your real feelings in the name of 'being nice' - it's time to get real and express how you really feel (in a safe way) as they try to overpower you. If that isn't good enough for them and if their respect drops even lower, it's probably time to move away from them.
Free will is like a muscle that needs to be exercised, if you squash her and force her into shapes that you don't feel like going into, then you will be crippling a major part of yourself in the process.
A Truly Golden Rule?
There may be much more eloquent ways of saying this, but for me, the most universally powerful rule that leads to loving enlightenment and freedom is: END DENIAL!
Wishing you well,
Ura Soul
Wishing you well,
Ura Soul
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