One Simple Rule is All I Need to Live a Good Life

Experience has taught me something. Religions and philosophies can be complicated because of their many rituals and beliefs. However, most of them promote one simple rule that if followed would lead to a happier, more joyful life.

It is often called the Golden Rule and dates back as far as the teachings of Confucius.

No matter what religion or philosophy I adopt, if I follow this rule and base all of my decisions upon its direction, I will lead a good life.

What is the Golden Rule?

Do to others what you would like for them to do to you.

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.

Same thing.

It means to consider each action and how it will affect the other person. It means that no matter what my state of mind, if I keep this one simple rule, I won’t be driven by anger, resentment, or fear to act in ways that harm others. I will check my emotions and realize I need to take care of them before I act.

While I was raised in the Christian church, I rejected many of the teachings because of the way they were presented to me. Some of my teachers used guilt, shame, and fear to get me to adhere to their dogma. I was taught the Golden Rule, but it got lost among the many confusing and contradictory lessons I received as part of my religious upbringing.

While I may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater when I gave up religion, I found that if I follow this simple rule, I will be following most, if not all, of the other rules I was taught. I have, also, learned that this goes for most other religions as well.

If I had kept the Golden Rule when I decided to leave my religion, my life would have gone much differently. I would not have let anger, resentment, and fear make my decisions for me. I would have stopped to consider what I was about to do and how it would affect the people I love.

Going back through my life and applying the Golden Rule in retrospect, I can see clearly that I would not have caused so much pain to myself and to others. Because when I don’t consider others as I decide how to act, in the end I hurt myself because I now see how much hurt I have caused, especially to those close to me.

It is a fact that I cannot rewind time, and I don’t get a do-over. And this post is not about living in regret. It is about waking up and taking responsibility for the actions I’ve taken, the words I’ve spoken, and the decisions I made

Following the Golden Rule means fewer reasons to ask for forgiveness.

At the same time, I need to apply this one simple rule to myself. Now that I know better, I commit to doing better.   This rule is enough to help guide me in my actions and words. I may make mistakes from time to time, but I now have a compass to guide me.

Practicing the Golden Rule is the beginning of compassion. It helps me to understand that what I do matters.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash