Compassion and the Golden Rule

"Do to others what you would have them do to you"(Anthology 679), or the "Golden Rule", was a phrase I heard tossed around repeatedly throughout my childhood. So much, in fact, that the saying had all but lost its meaning to me by the time I was old enough to truly comprehend it. I grew up, as I've stated before, in a largely Christian community and household. Those christian values were equivalent to sum of my family's moral values, and they were all I was ever exposed to. However, around thirteen years of age I had a startling revelation, one that I'm sure many Christian kids experience at some point: Christians do not act like Jesus, or any sort of moral fashion similar to his teachings. Many Christians, in my opinion, act in a way that is precisely opposite from all of the Bible's teachings. Spouting the Bible as reference, we excuse ourselves from acting judgmental, hypocritical, selfish, and apathetic. We assuage our feelings of guilt by showing up to church or Bible study once a week, tossing some cash in the offering plate, and singing a hymn or two under our breath. We say we're not perfect, and as such write off anyone who calls out our hypocrisy, while passing judgement on others from afar. 

For a long time this made me very angry. Honestly, it still does. In my opinion, the Bible lays out very clearly the expectations of moral and compassionate living, yet Christianity, almost the entirety of that group, ignores the very book we thump in reference. The largest corporations, most corrupt politicians, all claim to be full of "good Christian men and woman", as my grandfather liked to say. Yet we turn a blind eye because its advantageous. After this revelation, for a while I alienated myself from Christianity altogether. I read the Bible a lot, and took what little faith remained into my own hands. What I realized, in doing so, was that Jesus' teachings were full of love, compassion, and empathy. I gained a respect for his life that previously I'd never felt, even while claiming devotion. I wish terribly that Christians did not conduct themselves so far from their intended behavior. As such, I still do not know whether I qualify myself as one of them. What's more, one should not live compassionately just because of the threat of divine retribution, but because it is the right thing to do. In these readings, I've also realized how similar Christian teachings are to other religions. I'd always seen the connection between it, Judaism, and Islam, but I'd honestly never thought about Buddhism or Jainism. "Compassion is what makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. . . It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed." (Anthology 680) So there you have it. Compassionate, the wish to aid those less fortunate than you, altruistic life. Why are we missing this?

One area that I find Christianity lacking, however, is its treatment of animals. Even if one truly lives by that Golden Rule, Christians hardly ever extend "treating others as they wish to be treated" to animals. As such, I was floored by the actions of Jainists. "An equality of all forms of life and reverence for all of them is his central teaching. He taught, 'as you live, do so to other.' In that definition of 'others,' he embraced all living being. . . " (anthology 699) Absolutely incredible. Mahavira lived during his time in a way few Western peoples can even begin to contemplate, much less strive to emulate. We in the West should all take a leaf out of his book. Every being has life, therefore deserves to be treated with compassion. They are equal to us in every way, not matter what we have told ourselves. The torture and death of animals violates our most basic ideals: treat others as you wish to be treated. Yet people rarely extend this compassion to other species. It's not a Western ideal. To truly live a compassionate life, one must extend their empathy and love to all beings. Period. We have of course discussed this many times, but this reading has, more than almost any other, driven that point home. I feel refueled, and newly motivated.