The Golden Rule

Few phrases in human history have carried as much weight as the so-called Golden Rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself” or, in another version, “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you.” It appears in the Torah, the Gospels, the Talmud, the Qur’an, and in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad. In other words, it transcends cultures, religions, and eras. And yet, more than three thousand years later, we still cannot say that humanity fully lives by it. Just look around: wars, hatred, division, discrimination, exploitation—they are all still with us. And so, the big question arises: how is it possible that such a simple and universal principle has not yet been embraced in the heart of every human being?

Perhaps the first answer lies in human nature itself. For millennia, traditions have recognized that two forces coexist within us: one inclined toward goodness, and another toward selfishness and destruction. Modern psychology confirms this: protecting ourselves and our group is a basic instinct. Empathy, on the other hand, requires learning, discipline, and awareness. The Golden Rule is not an automatic reflex like breathing—it is a moral ideal that must be consciously chosen every day.

Another obstacle is that what seems simple on a personal level becomes far more complex collectively. An individual may understand that he should not harm his neighbor, but when it comes to peoples, religions, or nations, stronger forces often prevail: power, territory, economy, identity. What is obvious at a personal level becomes clouded in politics and mass conflicts. That is why we see deeply religious societies, repeating the Golden Rule in their temples, yet at the same time justifying conquest, slavery, or war.

Added to this is the gap between knowing a truth and living it. Knowledge does not equal transformation. Millions know smoking harms health and yet continue to smoke. In the same way, hearing the Golden Rule does not guarantee that it is practiced. Turning knowledge into action requires overcoming selfishness, fear, and the thirst for power. And that does not happen automatically.

Even so, we cannot deny progress. Although violence still marks history, important fruits have also been born: the abolition of slavery, the proclamation of human rights, the recognition of human dignity, the rise of social justice movements, and the creation of humanitarian organizations that embody, at least in part, that spirit of compassion. What was once only a religious commandment is now recognized as a universal ethical principle.

So why is it still so hard? Because the Golden Rule demands more than understanding—it demands embodiment. It calls us to let go of selfishness and embrace radical empathy. And that is difficult in a world that pushes us toward individualism, consumerism, and competition rather than cooperation. To live it often means going against the current, against comfort, and against what seems “useful” in the short term.

Perhaps that is why it is best to see it not as a goal humanity should have already achieved centuries ago, but as a guiding star, accompanying us in our long process of maturation. There it is, reminding us of what we can become. It reveals our fragility, but also our potential. And even if we do not live it fully, its very existence inspires sages, leaders, peace movements, and millions of ordinary people who try to practice it through small, concrete gestures in daily life.

Now more than ever we need to integrate it into education, politics, economics, and daily living. Because we inhabit an interconnected world where our actions affect people we may never meet. The real question is not why, after 3,000 years, humanity still doesn’t live by the Golden Rule. The real question is: What can I do, here and now, to live it out in my daily life?

Every time someone chooses to treat another human being with respect, compassion, and fairness—even in the smallest situation—humanity takes one more step forward on that path. Perhaps the teaching was always simple to understand, but difficult to live. And maybe that is precisely where its power lies: in inviting us to try, every single day, in every decision, in every relationship. Because true change does not happen all at once in history—it happens little by little, in the hearts of those who decide to love others as they themselves wish to be loved.