THE GOLDEN RULE IN THE ORIENT | 2004-02-21
Our Golden Rule says, "Do unto other as you would have them do unto you."
Confucius said, "Do not do unto another what you would not have him do unto you."
Political Correctness uses this to prove that the Orient is just like the West.
Actually, these two statements are worlds apart.
I gave the example of an Oriental Wise Man sitting and saying obscure things while children around him were hungry and had worms in their guts. But from the point of view of Confucius, that is all right. The Oriental Wise Man is not doing anything TO those children. So he is doing nothing to them that he would not have them do unto him, as Confucius said.
But the Western version of the Golden Rule is entirely different. You must stop talking crap and use your mind to do something FOR those children. You must DO something.
This is a very practical matter. In Japan in earlier times, no one was required to save the life of someone in danger. The Japanese rule was that if you saved a person's life, you were responsible for what they did after that. Throughout the very different cultures of Asia, this attitude is very common.
In the West, you have to take action.
The Orient is passive. The West is active.
Please see
LINK: August 19, 2000 - WHEN THE WAGONS FIRST ROLLED WEST