EMPATHY
HOW TO BE KIND
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ From Leviticus 19:18 in the Torah. This is the first part of the Hebrew Bible, which is also known as The Old Testament and is sacred to people of the Jewish and Christian faiths.
Discover how following the ‘golden rule’ helps you be kinder to others and makes the world a better place. By John ‘The Planetwalker’ Francis Illustrations by Josy Bloggs
F
or centuries, people have been thinking of new ways to show kindness. Incredibly, many religions and cultures have come up with a very similar idea. It is called the golden rule. Each version has the same core message: treat other people as kindly as you would like to be treated. The rule encourages you to feel empathy. This is when you
understand someone else’s feelings. It also helps you know how to act. For example, it tells you not to steal, because you wouldn’t like it if someone stole from you! Here are just a few examples of the many versions of this rule. On the next page, learn about some inspiring stories of kindness.
‘One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on themself to feel how it hurts.’
‘Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.’
From Treatise of the Exalted One on Response and Retribution, an important Taoist scripture by T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien
Yoruba proverb (Nigeria)
‘As you regard yourself, regard others as well.’
From the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scriptures of Sikhism
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‘None of you truly believes, until he loves for his brothers what he loves for himself.’
‘Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you!’ ‘Each one should do unto others as they would have others do unto them.’
A saying of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam
From The Analects of Confucius
Manco Cápac, legendary founder of the Incan empire
‘What you would not find acceptable if it were done to you by another, do not do to them.’ Akan proverb (Ghana)
‘I will act towards others exactly as I would act towards myself.’
From the Siglovadasutta, a text that sets out the rules that Buddhists should follow 20
‘Do not do to another what you do not like to be done to yourself.’
From the Mahabharata, an important text in Hinduism 21