Poem: "Golden and Fair"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem is from the April 5, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony Barrette.


"Golden and Fair"


The Golden Rule advises,
"Do unto others as you would
have others do unto you."

The corollary of this rule,
"But do it to them first,"
is commonly intepreted
in an aggressive way,
yet there is more to it
than meets the eye.

The Tough But Fair rule is,
"First cooperate, then
do to the other party
what they have done
to you previously."

In this manner, one
can gain influence
over the direction that
an interaction takes.

The first to move,
controls the board.

* * *

Notes:

The Golden Rule is commonly phrased in the Christian mode, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." However, it appears in similar forms across many religions. The Baha'is have helpfully compiled examples into a nice poster.

Read about the Tough But Fair Rule. The mathematical proof makes a compelling case for this behavior.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Prisoner's dilemma stuff? Cool.

[stardreamer]

I greatly prefer the Hillel version that says, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to others." It's harder to game than the Christian one.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

I've always like the Baha'is' approach, though I've only read about it.

• The Golden Rule is common phrased in the Christian mode
→ commonly