When you enter the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York, you are greeted by a large Norman Rockwell mosaic depicting people of many ages, nationalities, religions, and cultures along with the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Rockwell’s piece is entitled, “Golden Rule,” and serves as a reminder that communities throughout the world articulate the importance of the Golden Rule in their teachings and practices.
Throughout this quarter, DePaul’s Religious Diversity and Pastoral Care team will be highlighting a Golden Rule from a different faith or spiritual tradition each week. We will not only have an opportunity to recognize the universal wisdom in these golden nuggets, but we will also enter into an interfaith experience together.
As we begin our interfaith exploration of the Golden Rule, our Vincentian values encourage us to focus on the interfaith rules in a new way. As Vincentians we recognize and honor the dignity of all people, which means we do not impose ourselves upon others. As Vincentians, we consider the rule that Rockwell so beautifully portrayed, pondering how we might do unto others as THEY would have us do unto them.
Join us on a journey of engaging with the Golden Rule from many faith perspectives throughout the spring quarter! Follow along on our RDPC social channels, @depaulrdpc, for weekly posts on
Facebook,
Instagram, and
Twitter.
Week one reflection
The Golden Rule from the Jewish tradition:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Torah, Leviticus 19:18
“What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor. This is the law.” Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Imagine a world in which love of self and others dominated over the hateful thoughts and actions that seep into our everyday lives. Imagine that the law of love ruled every moment of every day. How might your corner of the world be different?