This column has reviewed several well-known and much respected and repeated sayings from very reliable sources and shown them to be terribly flawed.
There is the famous Declaration of Independence slogan “that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal....” Thomas Jefferson and his associates did not believe that all men were created equal just that white, American men were. Non-whites and women were not considered equal and could not enjoy the same benefits of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (See “Are We All Created Equal?”)
Then there was the quotation most associated with Jesus - “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” As described in the column “Loving Thy Neighbor,” it is unlikely that that is what He said (remember this happened years before the Internet, television, tape recorders or even daily newspapers). If he said “thy neighbor” instead of saying “everyone” then it would have meant only people who are very much alike in background. Also we cannot tell ourselves to love everyone. As Bonnie Raitt taught us “I can’t make you love me if you don’t and you can’t make yourself feel something that you don’t.”
I think that the saying was poorly translated from Aramaic. What I think He must have meant was to treat each person as an end in himself. That is how we treat people we love, especially ourselves.
There is a more secular version of this idea and that is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I see many problems with this one. Now that we live in this wonderfully diversified country and world, we identify with vastly different cultural values. We are not as alike as we used to be. By treating everyone the way I want to be treated suggests that they should see the world and react to it the way I do. If they don’t, they might not respond the way I would like them to and they might not appreciate my behavior as much as I do.
I always say “please” and “thank you” when requesting or receiving favors. I always say “hello” when first seeing someone and “good by” when leaving. At least half the world’s population does not use these forms of interaction. I am used to putting my hand out to shake with someone but again half the world’s population and people with obsessive compulsive issues might not appreciate this behavior. I like to always tell the truth but many more sophisticated people consider social lubrication more important than honesty. Almost no major religion considers lying a sin, especially not if it makes the other person feel better. I might want to go up to every beautiful woman, kiss her and tell her that I can’t live without her, but they might not really appreciate it, though I’d love them to do that to me.
I think that this saying should be “Do onto others as they would have you do onto them as long as it does not violate your values.” If your friend does not want to hear the truth even though you want to always express it, avoid saying the truth that he would mind. If your friend is from Asia and prefers bowing or is a person who does not want germs, ever, don’t shake hands with him or her even though that is what you would want. and don't say "Thank G-d," "G-d bless you," or "Merry Christmas" to an atheist, for G-d sake, no matter how much you enjoy saying and hearing it.
Another way to phrase this is again to “treat everyone as an end in himself .”
Then there is the poem on the Statue of Liberty that includes the line “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.yearning to breathe free.....” It was written by Emma Lazarus, who was coerced into writing it by some newspaper magnates. The Statue was a gift from the French.
It is a poem. It is not in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. It does not reflect American foreign or domestic policy. It is not meant to be an open invitation by the citizenry of America to the billions of desperately impoverished in the world.
Perhaps, the President or Congress could authorize a new poem. It would tell people that while we sympathize with the suffering that is endemic throughout the world, we are no longer accepting any more poor and huddled masses. We have a $14 trillion budget deficit and we have 15 million American citizens without full employment. One out of every four or five of us lives below the poverty level. There are more than 194 other countries. Maybe some of them need a larger underclass. Or perhaps, you could stay in your own country and help make it better. The Germans and Japanese have worked wonders with their countries in the past 60 years. Look at Brazil how well they are doing now at long last. And India and China are on the rise. Your own country can do the same. Don’t leave your beloved homeland. Change it.
I don’t know how to say that in verse, but I’m sure someone could. Maybe we could replace the poem with a large sign saying "Closed for restructuring."
But I have saved the best one for last. Students of Eastern mysticism all know this phrase and consider it the highest realization: “Those who speak do not know and those who know do not speak.” So if someone tells you that he knows why things are the way they are or what they might become, then he does not know. And if someone knows something, he shouldn’t, wouldn’t and/or couldn’t say anything.
The first question I have is “Who said that?” According to this saying, whoever said it did not know. So if he said but did not know, then what he said was not true. So those who speak do know. Well, if that is true, then the one who said otherwise is correct and those who speak do not know. But then he did not know. And so it goes ad infinitum. (It’s like saying “I’m a liar.” If I’m a liar, then I’m not telling the truth. So that means that I am in truth not a liar but, if I’m not a liar, then I’m telling the truth and I am a liar, and on and on.)
What is the point of knowing if you can’t express it to others? Should we therefore disregard all thought and all religion? Do I see you nodding "yes?"
Having said all this, it is now incumbent on me to come up with some new phrases that everyone can accept without giving them a second thought. Hey, that would be a great name for a column, but please don’t quote me on any of this.
There is the famous Declaration of Independence slogan “that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal....” Thomas Jefferson and his associates did not believe that all men were created equal just that white, American men were. Non-whites and women were not considered equal and could not enjoy the same benefits of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (See “Are We All Created Equal?”)
Then there was the quotation most associated with Jesus - “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” As described in the column “Loving Thy Neighbor,” it is unlikely that that is what He said (remember this happened years before the Internet, television, tape recorders or even daily newspapers). If he said “thy neighbor” instead of saying “everyone” then it would have meant only people who are very much alike in background. Also we cannot tell ourselves to love everyone. As Bonnie Raitt taught us “I can’t make you love me if you don’t and you can’t make yourself feel something that you don’t.”
I think that the saying was poorly translated from Aramaic. What I think He must have meant was to treat each person as an end in himself. That is how we treat people we love, especially ourselves.
There is a more secular version of this idea and that is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I see many problems with this one. Now that we live in this wonderfully diversified country and world, we identify with vastly different cultural values. We are not as alike as we used to be. By treating everyone the way I want to be treated suggests that they should see the world and react to it the way I do. If they don’t, they might not respond the way I would like them to and they might not appreciate my behavior as much as I do.
I always say “please” and “thank you” when requesting or receiving favors. I always say “hello” when first seeing someone and “good by” when leaving. At least half the world’s population does not use these forms of interaction. I am used to putting my hand out to shake with someone but again half the world’s population and people with obsessive compulsive issues might not appreciate this behavior. I like to always tell the truth but many more sophisticated people consider social lubrication more important than honesty. Almost no major religion considers lying a sin, especially not if it makes the other person feel better. I might want to go up to every beautiful woman, kiss her and tell her that I can’t live without her, but they might not really appreciate it, though I’d love them to do that to me.
I think that this saying should be “Do onto others as they would have you do onto them as long as it does not violate your values.” If your friend does not want to hear the truth even though you want to always express it, avoid saying the truth that he would mind. If your friend is from Asia and prefers bowing or is a person who does not want germs, ever, don’t shake hands with him or her even though that is what you would want. and don't say "Thank G-d," "G-d bless you," or "Merry Christmas" to an atheist, for G-d sake, no matter how much you enjoy saying and hearing it.
Another way to phrase this is again to “treat everyone as an end in himself .”
Then there is the poem on the Statue of Liberty that includes the line “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.yearning to breathe free.....” It was written by Emma Lazarus, who was coerced into writing it by some newspaper magnates. The Statue was a gift from the French.
It is a poem. It is not in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. It does not reflect American foreign or domestic policy. It is not meant to be an open invitation by the citizenry of America to the billions of desperately impoverished in the world.
Perhaps, the President or Congress could authorize a new poem. It would tell people that while we sympathize with the suffering that is endemic throughout the world, we are no longer accepting any more poor and huddled masses. We have a $14 trillion budget deficit and we have 15 million American citizens without full employment. One out of every four or five of us lives below the poverty level. There are more than 194 other countries. Maybe some of them need a larger underclass. Or perhaps, you could stay in your own country and help make it better. The Germans and Japanese have worked wonders with their countries in the past 60 years. Look at Brazil how well they are doing now at long last. And India and China are on the rise. Your own country can do the same. Don’t leave your beloved homeland. Change it.
I don’t know how to say that in verse, but I’m sure someone could. Maybe we could replace the poem with a large sign saying "Closed for restructuring."
But I have saved the best one for last. Students of Eastern mysticism all know this phrase and consider it the highest realization: “Those who speak do not know and those who know do not speak.” So if someone tells you that he knows why things are the way they are or what they might become, then he does not know. And if someone knows something, he shouldn’t, wouldn’t and/or couldn’t say anything.
The first question I have is “Who said that?” According to this saying, whoever said it did not know. So if he said but did not know, then what he said was not true. So those who speak do know. Well, if that is true, then the one who said otherwise is correct and those who speak do not know. But then he did not know. And so it goes ad infinitum. (It’s like saying “I’m a liar.” If I’m a liar, then I’m not telling the truth. So that means that I am in truth not a liar but, if I’m not a liar, then I’m telling the truth and I am a liar, and on and on.)
What is the point of knowing if you can’t express it to others? Should we therefore disregard all thought and all religion? Do I see you nodding "yes?"
Having said all this, it is now incumbent on me to come up with some new phrases that everyone can accept without giving them a second thought. Hey, that would be a great name for a column, but please don’t quote me on any of this.
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