h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Coincidentally, I have been pondering the 'Do Unto Others...' saying recently...

I find "whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them" is too strong, as I interpret that as meaning eg someone would like some flowers, while another person would like chocolates, so the first person is given chocolates and the second is given flowers, and neither is happy with that...

This Entry is interesting as I didn't know about the other related sayings. Fascinatingly, turning it round to the negative, as: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow", narrows it down well, so if you don't like chocolates, you just don't give people chocolates, you don't have to force them to accept flowers. And if you don't like being called [a term that you don't like being applied to you], you just don't call other people [a term that they don't like being applied to them].

Not easy, though - I do find myself getting frustrated by what other people do in social media and stuff, and wonder if it is me that is being unreasonable to expect them to at least empathise with my point of view as I strive to empathise with theirs, but I quite often put my thoughts in an offline notepad rather than in the social media while I ponder that...

"Let's keep trying, writers. Let's keep bashing away at the laziness in our own and everybody else's brainboxes. Let's try to break out of the category thinking that pigeonholes our neighbours, be they Inuit or transgender women or guys who wear bib overalls or fans of opera and/or Heavy Metal. Let's cut each other some slack and try to see the world from the other corner of the room. And then let's try to tell each other about it. Can we do that? "

Let's keep trying indeed

Ah. So that's why people disagree with that statement. I didn't interpret it that way at all.

'Panta oun, osa ean thelete ina poiosin imin oi anthropoi, outos kai imeis poeite autois.' (The parser won't let us not transliterate.)

Literally, 'All things therefore *as many/much as* you would desire men to do to you, so also do to them.'

Meaning - not as in Kant's imperative, making what you want a general rule, but saying, 'You have wants and needs? You want people to meet them? Good. Meet theirs, to the same degree.'

I think, though, we're after the same thing here - treating everyone with respect and meeting one another's needs.

"saying, 'You have wants and needs? You want people to meet them? Good. Meet theirs, to the same degree.'"

Aha - that makes sense...

"I think, though, we're after the same thing here - treating everyone with respect and meeting one another's needs. "

Yes indeed!

May it be ever so!

Yes indeed!