"Do not do to others what you would not like yourself." [Confucius XII,2] about 500 B.C. - AND SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA
“We should behave to our friends as we wish our friends to behave to us.” Aristotle
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Matthew 7:12
“No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” -Islamic writ Tradition
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“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
― Leonardo da Vinci
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“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. [We experience ourselves, our] thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of [our] consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us [excluding others, including animals]. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
~ Albert Einstein
"From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other – above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depend, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."
~ Albert Einstein
The latter quote by Albert Einstein resonates with me about the interconnectedness of life – who I am today is shaped by the lives of countless beings. Yes, we all share a common bond of sympathy as we are expressions of the energy of love and compassion. My own happiness indeed depends on the smile and well being of others, so I am always indebted to them.
I think society often tends to focus on famous individuals’ accomplishments in history books and records, yet in actuality, credit goes most to the numerous men and women behind the scenes who supported and helped them in one way or other. No one is insignificant or unimportant, and no act of kindness is too small, in the grand tapestry of life. We all have the power to make a meaningful contribution to humanity and the environment – we are more than a drop in the ocean; we are the ocean in a drop of water.
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