STEPHEN JAMES R.

LIZA 11-HUMSS E
REFLECTION PAPER ABOUT THE GOLDEN RULE
This phrase is passed on from generation to generation as a means of
providing morality. Since most of the recipients have a sense of
empathy, the message is generally well received. Morality is our set
of guidelines on how to live, and what is right and wrong. For the
majority of my life, I have abided by this golden rule: treat others
how you want to be treated. For example, don’t break into someone’s
house and steal their possessions (unless you want someone to do that
to you). There are many messages that can be drawn from this rule, but
there are three main conclusions: don’t treat others badly unless you
want to be treated badly, if you put nothing in, then you will get
nothing out, and if you are kind and grateful, then others will be the
same in return.

I’m choosing to start with the negative because to me, this argument
is the most basic- even though it can have the largest consequences if
not followed. It seems fairly simple, don’t steal, harm others, etc or
bad things will come to you. Many people, however, believe that they
are inherently special and that they can avoid the consequences of
their bad actions. If you treat others badly, then you were either
treated badly, or you will get what is coming to you, and others will
treat you how you’ve treated others. This may seem like a fairly
abstract concept, but the golden rule wouldn’t be the golden rule
unless many people believed in it. Essentially, the most commonly
drawn conclusion from the golden rule is don’t treat others badly
unless you want the same to happen to you.

Another conclusion from the golden rule is what you put in is what you
get out. Essentially, the more effort you put into a relationship, the
more you get out of it. If you want to be truly cared about, then you
have to care about others. This also ties into the third conclusion,
which suggests that being kind brings kindness. I believe that herein
lies the difference between a genuine desire to help others and
helping others to help yourself: altruism vs egoism. I do not believe
that people are pure altruists or egoists, simply because all people
do things for themselves and for others. Rather than confining people
in the binary of altruism or egoism, I believe there is more space in-
between where all people lie. It is the degree of altruism and egoism
that makes a difference. I do not mean to say that people can not
commit altruistic acts, and the same for egoistic acts, but I do not
believe that one action can define a person. Essentially, almost all
people will prioritize themselves at some point and others at another
points, but it is the degree to which they do so that makes a
difference. This is where the altruism vs. egoism debate ties back
into the golden rule: if you truly care about others, then others will
truly care about you. You may still care about yourself more than
others, but as long as the degree to which you prioritize yourself
over others is not too skewed, then who’s to say you’re not an
altruist?