Laws v. Rules

 Which do you follow?

Which one makes you happier?

Laws were written in stone, rules are written on paper.

Laws are unchangeable, rules are not much more than the whims of man.

Laws are for the protection of the many, rules are for the protection of the few.

However, there is one rule that has in mind the betterment of the whole human race. I am sure we have all heard it, but I am also sure that many have used it to describe what they believe is best. This rule is the "Golden rule". I believe in "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" Luke 6:31. This is one of the many ethical teachings of Jesus Christ. Over the centuries this has been perverted into sayings such as, "Do unto others before they can do unto you"; or, "Do unto others then split", maybe you have heard the one that goes something like "He who dies with the most toys wins"? Or how about "He who has the gold makes the rules". I  honestly believe this one applies to what more people subscribe to.

Lets take these misstatements one at a time and see where each one fits shall we?

1. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you: Honestly, if you have any kind of moral character this is the one that guides your life. After all who among us wants to be treated like the dirt under someone else's feet. Yet more and more we find the rich and powerful doing just that to those who are happy with what they have.
2. Do unto others before they can do unto you: This particular deviation is why I believe that there is as much crime and mistreatment of our fellow man as there is in society. No one wants to be mistreated, yet we see all types of it throughout our interactions with each other daily. Holding someone down just so you can become more wealthy and powerful doesn't make you a better person, it simply makes you cruel.
3. Do unto others then split: This one is yet another call to the injustices of the world. Much like the previous statement it calls for unfair treatment of someone for any reason you could possibly imagine. 
4. He who dies with the most toys wins: Is a cry to live for excess and greed. If you believe in this rule you seek the riches of the world so you may acquire the "finer" things in life. But ask yourself, will this make you any happier? Probably not. Now you have the struggle of holding onto your worldly gains and possessions. Not always easy when you have people who live by the rule do unto others then split. Again, this one points to the rich and powerful making their way through the world on the backs of those who only want to live free and who are happy with what they have.
5. He who has the gold makes the rules: This one can be, and most often is applied by those who have perceived power over others, you may have heard of a special group of people called politicians? Sometimes they are led by those with the gold/money due to excessive greed, like the chief executive officers of major corporations who are on the lookout for their own well being at the expense of others.

Personally I like the laws that are written in stone, they are the ones that tell us of the better way to live. In order to understand what I am talking about you should probably have at least a familiarity with the most purchased book in print today, the Holy Bible. More specifically Exodus 20, look them up if you don't know what I am talking about. 

Just to simplify and save time for those too concerned with the pursuits of the world; Jesus summed up the 10 Commandments into just two, they can be found in Matthew 22:35-40, After being asked "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus replied "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the great and first commandment.  "And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." Honestly, these are words to live by.

Ask yourself; if all men were to live by these two simple laws how much better off would mankind be? Yet many of us stand before our fellow men as the victims of our fellow man. Those who have positions of perceived power (worldly power) are setting themselves up as better than their fellow man. When in fact, no man should believe that they stand above another or the laws of God, after all we were all created equal. Unfortunately, George Orwell was very accurate in summing up the condition of man in the book Animal Farm: All animals are created equal. However, some animals are more equal than others, paraphrased. 

Harry Truman, our 33 president once said, "Show me a man who gets rich by being a politician, and I'll show you a crook." Now we are standing at the door of our own national demise because of men such as former presidents Nixon, and Trump, which brings up another quote by President Truman: "Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." This profound statement was made in a special message to congress on the internal security of the United States on 8 August 1950.

Both of these statements are as relevant today as they were when originally made. Sadly I feel that if any of the modern party of Trump read these quotes they will mistakenly apply them to those on the other side of the aisle who are only trying to do right by the country.

Just something to think about. Peace?

Afterthought:

True God fearing men will have the attitude of service to the One who created him in His image. In Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to serve God rather than man." Now, those of you doing the bidding of Donald Trump should ask yourself whom you serve, is it God or a man? If you are serving God then you will leave the vengeance up to God and stop helping man destroy the nation. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you won't, you have sold your souls to the evil one and yet somehow fail to see it. 

Good luck...