Many people know about “The Golden Rule”, which some say is the basis of most religions. “Do unto others what you would have them do to you.” or its negative form “Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you.” It is pretty hard to disagree with this principle.
Yet, there is a second Golden Rule which is just as relevant but quite a bit more cynical. The second Golden Rule is, “The one with the gold, makes the rules.” 😛
On one hand you have a succinct summary of good ethical and moral conduct, on the second you have a summary of how most political, economic, and sociological conduct takes place.
I personally think that both Golden Rules are relevant and are actually compatible. The first one deals with the idealistic and religious realm of human beings, the second deals with the conventional truth of human relations and history. Some people operate exclusively in one realm and ignore the other realm. History has shown that idealism alone does not work, while misused power is destructive.
A balance between both Golden Rules is quite possibly the real Golden Rule to follow…
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