The Golden Rule is multicultural and multifaith
USE THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY
USE THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY
The Golden Rule is now better understood than ever before
I have been contacted recently through e-mail by people who want to communicate things to do with relationships. Someone called John Alanis says that he has a magical method of attracting women. A David DeAngelo is on much the same wavelength to me.
Furthermore, quite apart from people such as the above two gentlemen who want to sell systems, there is a thoughtway in society at large to the effect that “what goes around comes around.”
Several years ago I was talking to a former employer about a mutual acquaintance who was in the habit of misleading and ripping off people apparently for the fun of it as well as the happiness he derived from acquiring stolen fruit, as it were. She said: “What goes around comes around.” The last I heard of him, he was leading a harassed life with all sorts of ex-victims wanting to settle scores.
Furthermore, as far as I am aware, all the major religions teach that the Golden Rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – is part of the foundation of their moralities.
Years ago I read an article in the Guardian newspaper about a spiritualist who specialised in teaching what she called The Law of Returns and who had visited the Queen to impart her theory.
Well, I have dabbled in this for some time now and I think I can transmit to our long suffering readership that what it boils down to is that the man who follows the Law of Reciprocity, as it called by some, believes that the universe is a giant cosmic mirror and that whatever we put into it is thrown right back at us, one way or another, and sooner or later.
Just in case you are tempted to stop reading at this point to find another article, I ask you to persist. Have you thought about Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation? Or Google the search engine?
Just think. Microsoft keeps giving things in millions to people who do not reward them in any way whatsoever. Not so long ago I downloaded a calculator for free which converts measurements from different units from Microsoft. I use Google Maps and Google Earth for free.
Yet the Microsoft Corporation and Google are two of the most wealthy and influential companies in the world. Bill Gates is almost the richest man in the world.
Seriously, reading this article may possibly be the turning point in your life. I can’t put it very well so I will give you some experts:
From the web site http://www.ufo.whipnet.org/: “Another lie is that we are not really responsible for the evil we have done, because "God will save us". God will forgive us because he sacrificed His Son on some cross somewhere to pay for our sins to avenge God's wrath. Does a God of Love deliberately allow His Son to be killed as a sacrifice for a lot of very evil people? Of course not! The basic Law of the Cosmos, the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of Return states that there is a cause and an effect for all that happens. Stated in another way the Law of Returns says that you shall reap what you sow. This means that everyone is responsible for his or her choices and actions. These Satanic cult lies would have us believe otherwise. The Truth is that we all are responsible for our choices between good and evil. We are held responsible for breaking any of the Laws of God Aton and of Creation. There is no one who will "make it right" for us but ourselves. No one is going to "save" us from our sins! We are held personally responsible for every Cosmic Law we break.”
From http://www.terrybragg.com/ we have: “Want to improve your relationships? Use the power of reciprocity to build trust, and enhance your work, family, and social relationships.
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power. People state The Law of Reciprocity in many forms. "I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine." "You reap what you sow." "You get what you give."
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them. The world gives you what you give to the world.
“Social psychologists use the term "idiosyncrasy credits" that result from the favorable impressions we make on others. These credits accumulate and you can cash them in for favors or to get others to do things for us.
“Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, uses the phrase "emotional bank account" to describe the principle of reciprocity and the corresponding credit-withdrawal process in relationships. Using the metaphor of a financial bank account, the emotional bank account describes the trust that accumulates in a relationship. Like the financial bank account, you must make deposits before you can make withdrawals.”
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power. People state The Law of Reciprocity in many forms. "I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine." "You reap what you sow." "You get what you give."
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them. The world gives you what you give to the world.
“Social psychologists use the term "idiosyncrasy credits" that result from the favorable impressions we make on others. These credits accumulate and you can cash them in for favors or to get others to do things for us.
“Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, uses the phrase "emotional bank account" to describe the principle of reciprocity and the corresponding credit-withdrawal process in relationships. Using the metaphor of a financial bank account, the emotional bank account describes the trust that accumulates in a relationship. Like the financial bank account, you must make deposits before you can make withdrawals.”
From Amirah of http://www.soulmystic.com/ we have: “People often tell me they want one thing, yet continue to create something else in their life. They always ask, "Why does that happen?" Simply, you manifest that what you focus on; "To think is to create." Therefore, if your thoughts are scattered, fuzzy or undisciplined, your outward world will duplicate that experience. It’s with conscious intention, focus, appreciation and gratitude that you create, easily and effortlessly.
“The Law of Reciprocity means: to give and take mutually; to return in kind or even in another kind or degree.
“You may have heard the Law of Reciprocity expressed as:
“"I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine."
“The law of reciprocity, (which applies in EVERY culture on the face of the earth), simply explains that that when someone gives you something you feel an obligation to give back.
“Giving and receiving favors is a common exchange and is an implicit assumption in most of our relationships. When someone does something for you, they implicitly expect that when the circumstance is right, you will do something of approximately equal value for them. The expectation may never be discussed openly but nonetheless it exists and affects negotiations and relationships.
“All parties must benefit from the relationship and invest in the relationship and acts must be mutually rewarding otherwise it creates an imbalance in reciprocity. When someone is the primary giver, they often expect they will receive in kind from the receiver or eventually from someone else in the world at another time.
“Possibly the earliest version of the Golden Rule is translated from The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (1970 BC) and states: ”"Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do."
“Similarly, the Golden Rule says: “"Do to others as you would have them do to you." and "You reap what you sow."
“By doing for others you make favorable impressions on them and relationships blossom as you extend courtesy, kindness, honesty, respect, and other favors. Even if favors are small, they accumulate over time as you build trust and create a history of what to expect from each other. People evaluate your actions and motives through giving and receiving.
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power.
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them.
“The world gives you what you give to the world.”
“The Law of Reciprocity means: to give and take mutually; to return in kind or even in another kind or degree.
“You may have heard the Law of Reciprocity expressed as:
“"I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine."
“The law of reciprocity, (which applies in EVERY culture on the face of the earth), simply explains that that when someone gives you something you feel an obligation to give back.
“Giving and receiving favors is a common exchange and is an implicit assumption in most of our relationships. When someone does something for you, they implicitly expect that when the circumstance is right, you will do something of approximately equal value for them. The expectation may never be discussed openly but nonetheless it exists and affects negotiations and relationships.
“All parties must benefit from the relationship and invest in the relationship and acts must be mutually rewarding otherwise it creates an imbalance in reciprocity. When someone is the primary giver, they often expect they will receive in kind from the receiver or eventually from someone else in the world at another time.
“Possibly the earliest version of the Golden Rule is translated from The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (1970 BC) and states: ”"Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do."
“Similarly, the Golden Rule says: “"Do to others as you would have them do to you." and "You reap what you sow."
“By doing for others you make favorable impressions on them and relationships blossom as you extend courtesy, kindness, honesty, respect, and other favors. Even if favors are small, they accumulate over time as you build trust and create a history of what to expect from each other. People evaluate your actions and motives through giving and receiving.
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power.
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them.
“The world gives you what you give to the world.”
I spoke to Louise L Hay of Sanjo, a Mind, Body & Spirit shop in Buckhurst Hill, about the Law of Returns. She said: “I believe in it. It works in my life. Quite a lot of the American gurus support this. It is the Universal Law.
Esther and Jerry Hicks (http://www.hayhouse.com/ and http://www.abraham-hicks.com/) believe it is all about asking and receiving.
“Meanness carries its own punishment.”
I think that is enough from the experts. Now, lets look at the world around us. First, we have the so-called “First World” comprising countries such as the USA and Norway with high standards of living and life with dignity.
At the other end of the range we have the so called “Third World” comprising countries such as Rwanda and East Timor where life is dog eat dog and brutal.
The important thing to remember is that the countries of Western Europe were like the present day “Third World” not long ago, just a few generations back in fact.
How did they progress? I think they just realised in some way or other that investing in each other without hope of return brings about a general return – from the universe itself in fact.
All of the above gives rise to a pathway which leads to abundance. Basically what it comes down to is that if one gives intelligently in such a way as to improve society in general, somehow the cosmos itself returns back more than 100%.
All of the above gives rise to a pathway which leads to abundance. Basically what it comes down to is that if one gives intelligently in such a way as to improve society in general, somehow the cosmos itself returns back more than 100%.
It is no accident that almost all the immensely wealthy men in history have been tithers. Rockefeller, when he started out as a young man, started tithing in minute amounts.
In these days of income tax it is probably a bit heavy to tithe the full biblical 10% but 1%, 2% and 5% or even the Islamic 2.5% goes a long way to improving life, both one’s own and others.
Therefore, if you are a Muslim, I suggest you pay one of the above amounts regularly to the mosque funds. Do it today.
Therefore, if you are a Muslim, I suggest you pay one of the above amounts regularly to the mosque funds. Do it today.
THE END
This article was published in the 25th february 2007 issue of the Bangla Mirror, the first English language weekly for the United Kingdom's Bangladeshis, read all over the world from the Arctic to the sub-Antarctic.
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