"Do unto others as you wish to be done to you"or conversely
"Don't do unto others what you would not wish to be done to you."
The Golden Rule from pretty much everywhere
Remember the old saying, "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander." It is, of course, another way of expressing the Golden Rule. This ethic of reciprocity is a key moral principle in many religions and philosophies.
Unfortunately, participants with a difference of opinion (hereinafter called a �debate�) often forget this principle and not only do unto their opponents but add insult to injury by crying "foul" if their opponents do back unto them.
I have wondered, on multiple occasions (particularly when immersed in a debate of thou shalt not�s) where the hell is the gander? Why is it that the thou shalt nots are not followed in equal measure by the other side?
Of course there is a story behind this story, but this isn�t a place to tell it. I am more concerned with the moral than the tale. Simply put � consistency is a virtue (never mind that saying that �a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds� (1) !) It�s best to step back and think a little before trying to win by laying down rules that will seem, in the light of day, to be purely self-serving and hypocritical. Require only what you agree should be required of yourself and expect your good or bad karma to return threefold.
Not to mix metaphors, but once an agreement has been reached one would think the other party would shut up and walk away too. Instead, more often than not, the horse continues to be flogged, the old news brought up again and again, and the triumph paraded, well, triumphantly. Which annoys the hell out of me.
� If you have "won" � good for you. Now go about your business; don't keep reminding me of the fact that I didn�t "win".
� If you have "lost" � sorry, hard luck. Now go about your business; don't keep reminding me of the fact you only gave in and agreed because of... whatever.
� If the debate died a natural death � let it remain dead. It is over, let it go. Nobody cares except you. Hard to stomach, but you're going to have to live with it.
(1) Emerson, Ralph Waldo, "Self Reliance", Essays: First Series, 1841
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