The Golden Rule

We’ve heard it a million times to, “treat others as you would treat yourself.” It’s so simple, yet perhaps the deepest piece of philosophy ever written. If only individuals and governments kept it in mind, the world would be a different place.

The line was written a few thousand years ago, but my mom said it so often I felt like she’s the one who coined it. But of course a lot of people say the golden rule, and pretty much all cultures and belief systems have similar wisdom. That’s because it’s so simple. “Treat others as you want to be treated.”

Ok, so what’s the problem?

If the golden rule is so simple, why do we break it? There used to be a waffle commercial on TV that had the answer. You guessed it, “leggo my ego.” Were they referring to their egos while manipulating each other trying to get the tasty waffle? If someone was going to have to leave the table hungry, why not just cut the damn waffle in half and share? Maybe they did, I can’t remember. And where were their parents in all this?

The ego is the guilty one. If a person is too focused on their own needs, then it’s harder to think of others and act in a way that’s best for them. Hence, no waffle sharing. Treating others well requires an ability to truly appreciate their circumstances and to know from personal experience what they are going through, or what their needs might be.

If we can truly appreciate how much it sucks to be hurt, we become less likely to hurt others. If in a situation we can think about how nice it would be for someone to share their food with us when we’re hungry, then we’re more likely to do the same for them. Kindness is king.

A closer look at the light, fluffy, golden rule.

When studying the line, most of the attention is paid to the first half, “treat others.” But the second half, “as you want to be treated” is the real hero. Without truly valuing the self and having appreciation for the things in your life, it’s hard to know exactly what the right thing to do is in regard to others.

So how does one leggo their ego?

I couldn’t even begin to tell you. All I can say is that it helps to have faith or appreciation for the world around you. Because either you’re a part of a greater world around you, or you’re a world unto yourself and the syrupy center of your own waffle.

How I woke up.

I was cheated on in a relationship. It stung me bad. Ok, she stung me bad, that’s because we were living together and it turned my whole world upside down to the point where I started having anxiety attacks. I felt alone in the big scary world.

Then one day it hit me. A feeling of oneness with everybody and everything. And no, I was not high! Or tripping. Or drunk. Or skydiving naked in freezing cold weather. Still, the feeling didn’t last long, an hour or so. But in that short time I became more aware. More aware of people’s energy and the effects that my energy, mood and actions can have on them. I had a spiritual and emotional awakening, and based on how I was treated, I felt strongly about changing how I was treating people.

I went back to sleep.

It’s difficult to stay conscious and not let the ego take over. The higher we grow spiritually, the more negative spiritual forces try to derail us from our path.
At the time I was young and single and did what everybody else was doing. I partied like a rockstar. I continued seeking spirituality but was unable to fully open the door, because my ego kept making me open doors to bars, clubs and late night cabs.

Drinking or doing mind-altering substances keeps you in the mind. I learned this from the book, Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Tired of fighting with my ego I decided to quit drinking. And six months later I quit smoking cigarettes. I was again on my way.

What’s right, vs. right now.

We probably all break the golden rule as well as act contrary to our best interests for similar reasons. Life’s pressure is probably the main culprit. The speed of life makes it easy to act based on what’s easy or what feels good for the moment. AKA, pleasing the ego. But staying focused on doing the right thing by other people, and ourselves, makes life better for everybody.

I’m still living the gold life…sometimes.

Today I remain more aware. More conscious of myself and others. It’s not easy. I can quickly get sucked in to doing the wrong thing if I’m not careful. It’s easy to want to keep the waffle all for me, or care less than I should about other people’s waffles. But treating others better is just like anything else—you get better with practice. And that’s all I wanted to share.

Have a nice day

Momma always said, “take responsibility for your actions”. She also said, “your thoughts create your feelings”. Well Eckhart Tolle really breaks it down in this video. No offense mom

This post was submitted by Mech72.

After reading through this site, I felt I had to share a little about my Karmic experiences as of late, beginning with one of my favorite Zen master stories:

A farmer boy finds a horse and the villagers cheer his good luck. The Zen master says maybe. The boy falls off the horse and breaks his leg, so the villagers curse his bad luck. The Zen master says maybe. War breaks out and because the boy has a broken leg, he avoids being drafted into the army, so the villagers cheer his good luck. The Zen master says maybe.

This morning started off not so great – my espresso machine burnt my vanilla mocha latte, I ran out of hot water halfway through an already rushed shower and my VW barely sputtered down the block. But at the busiest intersection in South Florida and against all natural impulses, I let a truck driver cut in front of me so he could make a left turn on the green arrow and everything started to change – I got to my meeting early, there was fresh designer coffee on the conference room table and on the way home, my car barely uttered one “sput”. I began to think, “Is this a confirmed case of Karmic Law or…. just life?”

Most of us know the central tenet of Karma – The spiritual law of cause and effect; everything comes back to you; what you sow, so shall you reap. Most religions and moral traditions encompass some interpretation of this idea. But a fundamentally inherent missing link in our naturally limited perspective and understanding is the ability to determine for sure which rewards are connected to which actions; because Karma encompasses the totality of one’s actions, there’s no score card kept. In addition, Karma can be instantaneous, it can take many years, or it can take many lifetimes. Therefore, we have no way of knowing that our good deed today will come back to us tomorrow, and in a way we see fit. Not only do we not get to choose the timeline, we don’t get to choose the reward.

This is where faith comes in – faith that there is a bigger picture, a grander perspective that will guide our destinies over the long haul in a direction concurrent with the daily choices we make. We try to draw conclusions and connect the dots of our actions and their Karmic effects because it helps to stabilize our orientation to the world around us; it provides structure, support and motivation for doing the “right thing”. But the truth is, we can’t be positive of the origin or meaning of Karmic results, and often we carry and continue to pay off cosmic debts that go way beyond our understanding and years in this lifetime. If we are so busy keeping score, we miss out on the process of belief, which incidentally, far outweighs the benefits of material cosmic compensation.

Exercising our belief muscles supports us in being flexible and thriving during the periods of our lives that are extreme highs and lows, the times when we are asking ourselves the profundity “Why?” and finding no concrete answers. It’s during these times that we have to suspend our (sometimes) obsessive compulsion to figure things out and just hold on, having faith that the universe will provide what’s best for all in the end. If we are trying to control our circumstances with cause and effect, we lose the fundamental security of this spiritual faith, and become frustrated with the ultimate knowledge that faith is independent of proof.

Yes, I am happy my day turned around, but do I really have the trucker incident to thank? Or was this just one small episode in the larger woven tapestry of my lives? One installment on my cosmic payment plan? So says the Zen master: Maybe.

This post was submitted by Resa Listort.

Hello and welcome to the Karma Chronicles, a place where there is no right or wrong. Just cause and effect. Where the judging is left up to the universe. Where our motto is “Reap. Sow. Share.”

Feel the need to get something off your mind? Want to wish someone well? Are you harboring resentment toward a friend, loved one or co-worker? Post your stories, pictures and original art. This is your chance to put it all out there and see what comes back to you. But remember not to name names. Who knows what karma that might bring you.

Karma brought me…here.

I had an experience recently that sparked the idea for the Karma Chronicles. While driving to my girlfriend’s apartment, I took a wrong turn and was a victim of road rage. At a point where the two-lane road merged into one, I straddled both lanes instead of staying all the way to the right because I didn’t see any other vehicles around. It was an honest mistake.

Before I knew it, there was a loud horn and a large pickup truck right beside me. I quickly moved over to the right side of the road and continued on my way. I noticed the truck driver moving aggressively. At the next light, the truck pulled up beside me and the driver said, “nice move @$$hole!” I looked at him very seriously and said, “what did I do?”

After a short silence and a smile from the driver, (I think they might have been high or drunk) his friend snapped back, “ARE YOU F#@%!NG KIDDING ME?!?” like a coke’d up steroid-raging freak. He jumped out of the truck and rushed toward my window. I put my truck into gear and pulled away just as he smacked my side-view mirror. At this point, my adrenaline was flowing and my instinct was to pull over and beat the crap out of this punk.

"ARE YOU F#@%!NG KIDDING ME?!?"

But then my brain started working again and I thought to myself, I’m 36 years old, I’m going over to my girlfriend’s right now, and I have an important meeting tomorrow. What would I rather do? Beat the crap out of this guy and then have his buddy come over and eventually get myself beaten up by the two of them, get bloody, bruised, achy and have to cancel my meeting because I’d be too embarrassed about my appearance? Or go over my girlfriends and have a nice evening?

My younger self would have chosen option A. I chose B. I let the truck catch up to me and made it obvious that I was writing down their license plate number (just in case something did happen). When they noticed that I got their plate number they moved on.

This story says a lot about karma. When I was young, I was a bit of a punk. When something bad happens to me today I say to myself, “do I deserve this?” Most of the time the answer is yes. For the things I don’t deserve, I know karma will take care of it and I let it go. In a way that’s what I’m doing here. Telling you my story so the universe can take it away from me and I can get on with my merry life.

Now it’s your turn to share.

If you have something you would like to share, all you have to do is register. And click the “Post Here” page. It’s free. You can upload graphics and even embed youtube and similar videos.

Want to give yourself some good karma? In the “Give” section, you can donate to a charity of your liking. If you are creative and would like to share your related art, poetry, literature or music feel free to send it to us via the “Contact Us” form and we will post it for you.

Enjoy!