let's get back to basics

My siblings and I were taught the Golden Rule before we knew it by that name. Whenever we used to do mischievous things to one another, Mom would pull the guilty party aside and ask, “Would you like it if he/she did those things to you? No? Then don’t do them to him/her.” That logic to be very persuasive, even as children, and in retrospect it’s impressive how effective Mom was at modifying our behavior with such a simple concept. 

As adults, the Golden Rule remains just as simple and powerful. Throughout history it has acted as the backbone of the moral systems of just about all civilizations.

The amazing similarities of the quotes below show how different religions sum up their moral systems through nearly identical expressions of the common Golden Rule: that you should treat others the way you wish to be treated, spreading kindness and refraining from actions that would harm others.

We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life. 

~ Edwin Markham