Darwin and the Golden Rule

Oft times, people dismiss the negative, however, Darwin believed there was great knowledge in what opposed his theories. He tended to write down everything, noting that there is an emotional prejudice which might keep him from remembering. It is very similar to the old saying, particularly with romantic relationships, 'you only remember the good times, not the bad.' When a person is forced to accept responsibility, for both the good and the bad, a majority of people cannot and will not accept responsibility, instead they find fault with something external. Most individuals will place blame on an external force for the cause of their misery; however, it is usually the individual's actions which initiated the 'bad times.'

This is actually a habit I have been developing for the last two years. The wiccans call it the threefold law, Buddhists call it karma, but in essence, these are all the same ideas: accepting responsibility for all of your actions, and the consequences that follow. By accepting that my actions, consciously or sub-consciously, are my sole responsibility and an emotional attachment to them creates a bias. However, if I claim all of my actions, I remove the emotional attachment and the bias; I can see things for how they truly are. It allows me to change my perception and accept how things are without prejudice or preconceptions. There is no emotional bias anymore. I do not and cannot project misconceptions or behavior I believe is appropriate on anyone else, because I see things with a new view.

There is much to learn from this golden rule:

* By accepting responsibility for only your actions, you come to understand that any action taken against you is not of your control.

* Once you accept that another person's actions are not your responsibility to hold, you become free of the emotions that normally you would bind to them.

* Essentially you are free from worry, guilt, etc. because you know that it is not you.

* You begin to see people for who they really are.

* You realize there is no sense in trying to change them. They are not you. You are not responsible for them.

* You can walk through life without preconceived notions, and are open to everything that can be, not what you think will be.

Darwin used his golden rule to observe nature, but it is not a far cry from applying it to human nature. Had I not attempted to accept both the good and the bad, I would have never been able to reach a higher level of enlightenment. If I would have kept my bias and ignored that which I wanted to avoid (emotionally, mentally or physically), I would have gone through life blind to the wonders that surround; for with bias comes fear and avoidance. There's too much in life to avoid.

Gelb, Michael. Discover your Genuis. HarperCollins: New York, 2002.