As an Ideal, as the author suggests,

'The Golden Rule is most familiar in the Western world as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, but it has reflections in every major world religion. Confucius provided the first written examples, but Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism all prescribe some form of “ethic of reciprocity”.'

But there have always been a couple of wrinkles in this smooth fabric:

* suggestions about meeting the intolerance of terrorism with tolerance may somewhat blur the boundaries between our consideration of terrorists' possible humanity, and the rights of their victims to our compassion and justified outrage at their treatment;

* tribal societies are also very strong on reciprocity, but just for 'their own'. Some religious practices are very strong on 'community', but again, just for 'their own'. Outsiders are regarded as perhaps not even human, but can be enslaved, killed and raped.

On the other hand, the story of the Good Samaritan, even if apocryphal, of someone helping another person in distress who is NOT from their own community, is inspirational even to an old atheist like me. The Samaritans were and still are, thank goodness, a small sect of Jews who follow slightly different precepts from the Jewish mainstream (and have probably copped more than their share of discrimination over three thousand years).

But now we are supposed to leap to the other extreme - tolerance and compassion not only for those who may be 'not us', but who have done us great harm as well. This actually breaches that Golden Rule, to which a corollary necessary follows:

“Do not do unto others as they do unto you, but direct your compassion to their victims.”

Their victims are, after all, 'us', and a damn sight more so than their persecutors, whoever those victims and persecutors may be and whatever their religion or lack of religion.

Joe

Soppy talk like this doesn't get a look in when people are seeing their countries over-run by people who don't want to go by the rules, golden or otherwise.

If this woman is a refugee as she appears to claim, I find it objectionable that she presumes to lecture us on how we should treat refugees.

Rather than telling us how to behave, all refugees & other migrants for that matter, should show their gratitude for being allowed to come here by asking, how can we best fit into your society. Perhaps asking, how should we change our ways & attitudes to be more acceptable to the culture that has taken us in.

This is perhaps the perfect example of the stupidity of multiculturalism, that these people think they have some right to tell us how we must adapt to their presence.

They're a Weird Mob by Nino Culotta, & it's prime quote, "Kings Bloody Cross" was a snapshot of earlier waves of migrants, making a real effort to become Australians, & doing so quite quickly. This piece tells us we must become something else to be more acceptable to today's blowins. Like hell.

Is it any wonder that so many want no net migration, & increasingly no migration at all.

This story is more than 8 months old & is the Subject of a Book by the Author in the Catholic University in Melbourne.

I would have answered in on "The Conversation" but I've been kicked off that site. Apparently you have to entirely agree with everything the Inteligencia say or get banned. No other opinions from the "Common Swill" are allowed to be aired.

I agree with the "Golden Rule, "Do unto outers as you would have them do unto you." Another version says, "Do unto others as they do unto you." Actually this version is about 350 years older.

I do unto moslems as I would like them to do unto me. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to get reciprocated. Well not in the long run anyway.

We are supposed to be tolerant of moslems while they are the minority. Once we become the minority we will be given three choices;

1. Convert to Islam
2. Pay the Jizya Tax but get barred from most employment.
3. Enjoy haveing you head chopped off.

Now that's what I call reciprocal Tolerance. Don't you?

How say you Steelie, Poirot, Diver Dan, etc,.

Hear, hear and well said Joe!

Yes it's surely an admirable sentiment and a golden rule to live by if we're allowed! And not something we can ever allow to be turned and used against us, that then allows a murderous miscreant to hide in plain sight among intended victims?

This very real possibility (already happened) behooves us to prevent that diabolically devious outcome, by using currently available superior technology that allows us to thoroughly and covertly, test the accuracy and veracity of those who would seek shelter among us.

Yes the golden rule matters and is a code we can all live by! Always providing it is extended and reciprocated by those who want to impose themselves on our generosity as integrated new neighbors, who genuinely desire to live among us?

Just not separate from us, with a hidden agenda, compounded, by a secret desire to take over as the dominant culture by any and all means, including misrepresenting their situation and intentions; and indeed turning our belief system into a psychological weapon to be deployed for nefarious purpose, against us!?
Alan B.

You stated that tolerance was revealed through thoughtfulness, empathy and perspective-taking where the students were able to “step into another person’s shoes”, and provided basic examples.

But what if a person can't easily step into another persons shoes?

We're living in a really screwed up age where some other minority group does "something" and then everyone else is considered "intolerant" and expected to change their behavior to accommodate the minority.

So in order to show empathy to gay people am I expected to go and have a gay experience?
If I object to multiculturalism should I be forced to go and have a meal with a Muslim family?

Whatever happened to this very simple phrase "Who owns the problem?"
Here's an example.

If I say that people need to assimilate into the country they are coming into and that we shouldn't have to assimilate into the country they are coming from, suddenly I'm the racist, and the bigot and being discriminatory.

This whole stupid line of thought seeks to shift the blame and responsibility from the people who cause the problems onto the people who did not cause the problems and its all backwards bs.

I believe in "Do unto others", and "Treat others the way you'd like to be treated" but there's a limit to my goodwill.
Don't think I'm so stupid that I'll go along peacefully with all this leftist goodwill crap if going along with it will ultimately lead to a complete destruction of my country, terrorism and a police state.
Because if that's the place where it leads then you can take it all and shove it, respectfully.

And its all bs, wars of 'bringing democracy' - lies.
All we've done is imported their crap into our countries...

Opportunities for the elites to carry out regime change or open border agendas, stripping nations of their wealth while people in their own western countries have to firstly pay for these wars and then live with the results.

Your pointing the finger at the wrong people.