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The Golden Rule, which essentially states “treat others as you would like to be treated,” is represented in all major religions. In Christianity: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man.” In Islam: “None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.” In Buddhism: “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” In Confucianism: “Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself.” Why does this theme appear across borders and across belief systems? This is because the Golden Rule is considered fundamental to both ethical behavior and the morality of our social contract.

The Social Contract Theory states that for a society to thrive, the individuals in that society agree to give up some of their desires or privileges in exchange for the protection and survival of everyone in their society. The strong protect the weak, the rich protect the destitute and individuals use their skills and resources to help the community thrive. It addresses the question of what we owe each other.

Most of us are familiar with the verse proclaiming “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Just as familiar is Lord Acton’s idea that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Money replaced the intricacies of the trade and barter system, serving as a standardized unit of value. It represents all the resources and services that an economy has to offer. The hoarding of wealth has created a vastly unsustainable imbalance between the rich and the poor. Most of us are familiar with the family board game, Monopoly, which illustrates both monopoly capitalism and late-stage capitalism. Originally titled “The Landlord’s Game,” it was invented by Elizabeth Magie to demonstrate the negative effects of monopolies on an economy. Many of us have had a game of Monopoly end prematurely when a player realized that there is nothing they can do to salvage the game and survive it. There is something gut-wrenchingly painful in playing out the game to its bitter end, until all the land, resources and money are in the control of one person and everyone else is out of the game.

In reality, many members of our society are feeling the pinch of late stage capitalism and the unrealized promises of a trickle-down economy. People are struggling to make ends meet and cover the basic cost of living. People are taking out their anger on each other as they fight for the crumbs our economy has left to offer them. So, how do we survive this real life conundrum? It isn’t hopeless. We can focus on the values of the Golden Rule and treat others how we need to be treated. We can build networks of community support. We can develop skills in self-sufficiency, such as gardening and repairing. We can teach and learn skills from our friends and neighbors. We can advocate for the equity of even the most vulnerable members of our community and take care of each other. We can recognize and prioritize mental health and interpersonal relationships. We can recognize the humanity and inherent worth in others, instead of trying so hard to maintain an Us versus Them society. At the end of the day, society is richer for its diversity and inclusion. We can honor the combined spirits of the American Promise and the Golden Rule. Without hatred and without fear, everyone should be welcome here.

Bethany Greiner
Albert Lea