Almost every religion, from all over the world, has a golden rule, and surprisingly enough they all sound remarkably similar. Spoiler alert: They are all about loving one another.
Here are a few examples:
Buddhism: Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. –The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18
Christianity: In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. –Jesus, Matthew 7:12
Confucianism: One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct … loving-kindness.
Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. –Confucius, Analects 15.23
Islam: Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. –The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith
Sikhism: I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all. –Guru Granth Sahib, p.1299
Taoism: Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss. –Lao Tzu, T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien, 213-218
This is obviously not all of them, just a little snapshot of a bigger picture. The point is that religions from all over the world have a core value that wishes for you empathize with your neighbor. I fear many have started to take the word "neighbor" to mean someone who is close to you, and not all of humanity. These golden rules, or core values, encompass all of human kind, to help you be a little more kind to humans. And the rule doesn't geographically change. All over the world, it stays the same.
I think there is something special about that, that people of all different cultures decided that their main goal was to be kind and to treat others with love. It's also really fascinating that they individually created these rules, but when you put these faiths together their core values are almost the same. Somehow, we all decided that our main goal is to love one another.
So my hope is that we can all take a step back and give people the empathy they deserve, from Atheists to Zoroastrians and everything in between.
Be loving, be kind, and treat others the way you want to be treated. I think that's a basic value that we can all adhere to.
