Weird Results from Trying Golden Rule

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Hi CAF Friends,

Sometimes I get weird results when trying to apply the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do to you).

For example, yesterday I wanted to tell my parents at dinner something about my personal life. That seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do. But then, it occurred to me that I certainly would not have my parents tell me what I wanted to tell them, because it would simply have made no sense! If my parents had said what I was going to say, it would have seemed like sheer nonsense!

So, what do you think about this?

Thanks
n
 
Such would not be I think what was meant.

One could though think “I would want my parents to talk with me and share good with me from their lives – so I will share with them good from my life”
 
Here this will be of great interest:

Then Cardinal Ratzinger (Later Pope Benedict XVI!) noted in God and the World (Ignatius Press) that the positive formulation of the Golden Rule by Jesus:

“calls forth, so to speak, the creative imagination of love. … in the end this opens up an infinitely broad field within the creative potential of goodness that can be developed…And this real self-giving, with all its creative imagination, with all the possibilities that open up to us, is expressed in a quite practical rule, so that it doesn’t remain just an idealistic dream.”
 
nqes7t9 said:
Hi CAF Friends,

Sometimes I get weird results when trying to apply the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do to you).

For example, yesterday I wanted to tell my parents at dinner something about my personal life. That seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do. But then, it occurred to me that I certainly would not have my parents tell me what I wanted to tell them, because it would simply have made no sense! If my parents had said what I was going to say, it would have seemed like sheer nonsense!

So, what do you think about this?

Thanks
n
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What were you going to tell your parents?

Without that bit of info., there’s no way to apply “the Rule”.
 
nqes7t9 said:
Hi CAF Friends,

Sometimes I get weird results when trying to apply the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do to you).

For example, yesterday I wanted to tell my parents at dinner something about my personal life. That seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do. But then, it occurred to me that I certainly would not have my parents tell me what I wanted to tell them, because it would simply have made no sense! If my parents had said what I was going to say, it would have seemed like sheer nonsense!

So, what do you think about this?

Thanks
n
Click to expand...
I think you are joking. Good one. Don’t call your father “Dad” because you wouldn’t want him to call you Dad. Keep 'em coming!
 
I’ve sometimes been told that people cannot tell when I’m joking & when I’m not joking. Well, neither can I…I guess I am both serious & joking.

Here I am mostly serious.

Exactly-- that’s exactly what I’m talking about. If I try to apply the Golden Rule to whether I should call my Dad “Dad” – I shouldn’t call him Dad! What’s up with that?
 
nqes7t9 said:
I’ve sometimes been told that people cannot tell when I’m joking & when I’m not joking. Well, neither can I…I guess I am both serious & joking.

Here I am mostly serious.

Exactly-- that’s exactly what I’m talking about. If I try to apply the Golden Rule to whether I should call my Dad “Dad” – I shouldn’t call him Dad! What’s up with that?
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No that would* not *be an application of the words of Jesus there. See what I noted above.
 
Well, I was joking about the “Dad” part.

Thank you for the quote from Pope Benedict XVI.
 
nqes7t9 said:
So, what do you think about this?

Thanks
n
Click to expand...
I think you’re misunderstanding what Christ means a bit. He doesn’t mean ‘do exactly what you would have them do to you right then’ it could be that at times, perhaps, but that doesn’t capture what He meant. He is talking about doing good to someone because you would have them do good to you; it could be, as I said, that you would do exactly as you would have them do to you, or it could be how you would have them do to you if the roles were reversed. You are supposed to use your head. 😉

For example, if after having eaten food, you passed a starving person along the side of the road, the right the to do to apply the Golden Rule would be to give them food. Why? Not because you would desire that starving person to give you food right then, but rather if you were starving, you would have someone give you food.

It would apply to your situation in perhaps two different ways from what I can see. One, as Bookcat pointed out above, “I would want my parents to talk with me and share good with me from their lives – so I will share with them good from my life” or perhaps another way: “If I had children, I would want them to share with me something from their life.” etc.

One should avoid a wooden literalistic interpretation of such things, else we would come to the conclusion that we must ‘hate’ our father, mother, wife and children to be Jesus’ disciple (Luke 14:26). Look for the meaning, not simply a wooden application of what is said. 🙂

Pax Domini
 
I get weird results, but not like yours. I honestly try to treat others like I would want to be treated. And I’m sorry that my friend was offended when I told her that she looked fat in those jeans, but I would honestly want to be told if I had looked like a fatty. I also like, remove loose strings/lint from friends/family’s clothing, because I would want someone to help me out. 🤷 Whatever, I’m just trying to be nice.
 
The proper response to “Do these jeans make me look fat?” is “No, honey, you look fat with or without them.” Have your track shoes on though.
 
Deus_tecum said:
The proper response to “Do these jeans make me look fat?” is “No, honey, you look fat with or without them.” Have your track shoes on though.
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don’t forget the makeup chocolate and bag of chips LOL 😃

Kat
 
Hahaha. “with or without” – very funny. I will have to remember that.

Now that I think about Bookcat’s quote from then-Cardinal Ratzinger, I think it’s a good insight. God is infinitely creative, and that’s kind of part and parcel of the Golden Rule, right?
 
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