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Re (2): Further comments about Belief and Understanding.
IP: 24.47.21.142
Posted on September 12, 2005 at 05:22:30 PM by Sara
You make many valid points and some that I'd quarrel with, but the one that interests me the most is the universal applicability of The Golden Rule. I've been thinking about this lately.
Is it really universal?
I will give you an example....
My sister and I are very different people. I'm endlessly questioning everything and always seeking the truth, even if I am afraid of it. The truth is more important than my own comfort.
My sister prefers to be content. She has told me this directly. She has told me, for instance, that if she develops a serious form of cancer, she would not want to be told about it. She would prefer to be allowed to die not knowing the truth. When her son began to question his sexuality, she didn't want to know about it. She didn't want to know if he was gay or straight. She thought it was better to ignore the question entirely.
Now I think this is utterly nuts, but, it really gets complicated when I try to apply the Golden Rule...."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" in my relationship with her.
If I had cancer, and I was about to make a decision that endangered my health, I would want people to intervene and argue with me. Even if I chose to continue on my own path, I would prefer that they express the truth as they saw it.
My sister would disagree. She would prefer to die not knowing for sure what was wrong with her than fight to live knowing the odds were against her.
How can I apply the Golden Rule to someone who is so utterly different than me? Respect her wishes to remain ignorant of truths she finds distasteful? Let her die the way she prefers when, if she faced the truth, there might be hope?
I suppose so...that's what I would want...someone to respect my wishes. Even if I was harming myself?
Hmmm...I'm not sure.
I guess what I'm saying is that even the Golden Rule...which seems so simple to apply to daily life...is really quite complicated at times.
Replies:
- Re(3): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By karen September 13, 2005 at 03:45:33 AM
- Re(4): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By Sara September 13, 2005 at 09:50:21 AM
- Re(4): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By Sara September 13, 2005 at 09:05:16 AM
- Re(5): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By karen September 13, 2005 at 12:21:58 PM
- Re(6): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By Sara September 13, 2005 at 01:10:21 PM
- Re(5): Further comments about Belief and Understanding. - By karen September 13, 2005 at 12:21:58 PM