Love thy neighbors as thyself. It can be quite easy to the tongue but utterly difficult by action. Loving your neighbor as yourself is an act that most people cannot follow through maybe because morality is not required. Is it impossible for anyone to love everyone as himself or herself? One may find it easy to care for others but even to this regard, is it required a person cares for others as they do for themselves? The connections between love and morality are complex if there are any at all.
Do love and morality go hand-in-hand, with one acting as a support for the other? An American philosopher by the name of Bernard Gert put his thoughts into a book and from an explicit understanding, it is clear Gert feels that morality does not depend on the individual but rather on the behavior they portray towards others. Love, because of its intangibility, is opened to the opinion of everyone that seeks it and morality, is exposed to the interpretation of the society.
The title of this writing were words of Bernard Gert and in that four-word sentence carries the power to re-shape minds. Gert’s statement is fascinating for two reasons: Regardless of how one may treat oneself, no person has the right to cause other people harm. For instance, if Dr. X is depressed, does he have the right to make others suffer due to his pain? If Dr. X does not love himself, does he have the right to hurt other people? Secondly, it is possible for anyone to love every other person equally or as they love themselves. Why should a person have to love a complete stranger or someone who has been unfair in the same manner as they love their spouse or them self? It is not plausible and is very unlikely that someone would.
Love thy neighbors as thyself can be utterly vague and almost impossible to attain. For this reason, Bernard Gert does not accept the phrase as a basis for morality. A more appropriate route is to live and completely let live.
..::GIDI::..
Reference
• Gert, B. (1998). Morality: its nature and justification. Oxford University Press, USA
Reference
• Gert, B. (1998). Morality: its nature and justification. Oxford University Press, USA
3 comments:
Wow nicely said, I never took that sentence really seriously. It's kind of a really hard thing to do. People think of it as just being 'nice'
One needs to be careful not to mix human “philosophy “and “traditions” with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which can lead to false teaching.
In the book of Matthew 22:23-40, some Sadducees came to Jesus with questions of morality based on marriage and heaven and he answered them thus, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God”. When the Pharisees heard about how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they too gathered together and one of them, a lawyer, was bold enough to ask yet another philosophical question this time pertaining to scriptures but tempting him in like manner. Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Galatians 4:15 says “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”.
James 2: 8 says “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well. Verses 9 – 18, describes practical ways for us to show love and care for our neighbours.
Other scriptures on the same subject can be found in Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19: 19; 5: 43; Mark 12: 31, 33; Luke 10:27; and Romans 13: 9.
It will be unwise to promote modern, humanistic wisdom or philosophy above the gospel of Jesus Christ – the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2: 2, 3).
“Live, and let live”, is a fallacy and the underlying philosophy behind its error is to deny the power of Christ in our lives to redeem us and save us eternally.
I appreciate the feedback.
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