BEYOND the GOLDEN RULE…….
We celebrate the annual Golden Rule Day coming up on April 5th and we celebrate the idea of going beyond the GR to the Platinum Rule.
It is a slightly different shift in consciousness when applying the PR.
Golden Rule -Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Ex – You see a beautiful fish in the water. You want to preserve him, keep him happy and healthy. For you, being happy and healthy means breathing AIR. So you bring the fish out of the water to the air and realize, that is not what the fish needs nor wants.
Platinum Rule -Do unto others as they would like to be treated.
Ex -You see a beautiful fish in the water. You want to preserve him, keep him happy and healthy. With understanding and education you know the fish must remain in the water to stay healthy, so you do everything you can to keep the water clean.
The Platinum Rule is essential in the Interfaith Arena.
In order to embrace friends across religious traditions and cultures, we must begin to learn what they need, believe in and are comfortable with.
Ex – We as Westerners may wear shoes into our churches and synagogues.
We are comfortable with that idea. However in order to show respect and apply the PR, we take off our shoes to honor Eastern traditions and Islamic traditions before entering a holy sacred space.
We also wear head scarfs in Mosques, Sikh and Hindu Temples. We wear yarmulkes in Conservative and Orthodox synagogues.
We are all like beautiful flowers in one garden. Each flower has its own unique fragrance and growing needs. Some need to remain moist to stay healthy. Others need a dry desert climate to grow. As people, we are unique in our faiths, relationships, cultures, clothes, personalities and more. Once we begin to appreciate and respect our differences, we see so many more similarities.
Let us all honor our uniqueness and learn from, and about each other.
When we do, we will truly be going beyond the Golden Rule

Going Platinum,
Abigail