Comment by stevenfoster | Hacker News Reader

Comment by stevenfoster | Hacker News Reader

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As summarized by Jesus of Nazareth: the greatest commandment is Love your God with all your heart, Love your neighbor as yourself.

I've always consider this less as a command and more the code that is already running on every human operating system. After all the summarizer is claiming to be close with the creator. Something worth considering.

So if our code is we will be consumed whatever we choose to be our god (science, religion, ourselves...) we will also love or harm others the way we love and harm ourselves. The most consistently kind, life giving people I have ever encountered are treating others the way they treat themselves. The people who I've been abused by, with hindsight can see they were harming me the way the harm themselves.

This is critical for our own self diagnostics, alignment, and ultimately how we build healthy civilization. I would invite anyone reading this to use science to rigorously form, and reform questions. Science is a lousy religion in my opinion, however I have found rediscovering my own heritage through the Spanish Mystics, science applied to religion or perhaps better referred to as ones on personal faith has unlocked a peace within my own inner development and facing universe spanning unknowns.

I hope this note finds you well.

Some really interesting ideas in here.

> I've always consider this less as a command and more the code that is already running on every human operating system

I like to think of the "golden rule" as an incredibly elegant and powerful piece of software for decentralized systems. It's been described by a huge number of human civilizations [1]. I suspect if we ever come across alien civilizations, they'll also have their own version.

> we will also love or harm others the way we love and harm ourselves

This is very similar to Alan Watts' conception of karma, another topic I'd like to write about.

> Spanish Mystics

Anyone in particular?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

I try to live by these two codes:

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Lead by example.

The first was drilled into me by my mother that was raised as a church going midwesterner. The second came from Boy Scouts but has been reaffirmed throughout my life through observation of others and seeing the results of doing what I feel is right. These are the two lessons I try to instill in my children and the children I coach. If I had to choose a third it would be "only you are responsible for you happiness and success" but that lesson takes some shit experiences to really internalize.

> Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Wouldn't it be better to treat others the way they want to be treated?

I agree that this is both more effective and has the benefit of encouraging people to understand others in a deeper level. Taking the time to understand someone else handles stress differently (and has different strengths and weaknesses, preferences, ways of communication, etc.) is a level above just treating people the way oneself wants to be treated.

Anecdotally- I've had many experiences with my mother who adamantly insists she treats others the way she wants to be treated when, in fact, she has a very unique life experience that has generated some specific ideas of how she thinks people should behave, and in treating others the way she wants to be treated she tends to unintentionally generate miscommunication and awkward situations at best, if not sometimes conflicts and harm.

Would you not want to be listen to? Cared for? Considered? Is this not then the healthy expression of loving one as yourself.

Also, there are many who may harbor destructive habits and may need to be treated not for what they want in the moment but rather what best heals them and returns them to the best version of themselves. Understandably difficult to discern in most situations but difficulty is not a disqualification for pursuit of loving others as ourselves.

There is also a book called "Predictably Irrational" that talks about a fun experiment where people could choose to cheat without being caught when reciting the ten commandments. They found that recalling the ten commandments or even an "honesty policy" before a test would reduce cheating/lying significantly.

So why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie, even when we couldn't possibly be caught?

> Love your neighbor as yourself.

Sometimes I wonder about the original intention and meaning of this expression

I’ve come to believe that maybe Jesus meant it as: “Love yourself as your neighbor”

Meaning: unless you love and accept yourself, it’s going to be hard to love others as well.

I always thought it was a lead in to expanding your tribe. If you love your neighbor as yourself they become friends and maybe family. Group animosity and violence is much less likely if we are in the same tribe. With globalization we are all neighbors in some sense.

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