Hammurabi: The Golden Rule

1312 Words6 Pages
Timothy M. Whitehouse Mr. Daniel Floyd English 101 17 September 2014 The Golden Rule Hammurabi, a Babylonian king, is famous for one of the earliest legal codes in history. It is referred to as "Hammurabi's Code". Hammurabi's code is often quoted, "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" (ushistory.org). What this means is that the law should be an equal punishment for a crime. Under this code, if a man hits another man, then the man who struck is merited the same assault. This is an easy, logical system for revenge. But Hammurabi's code does not instill justice. It is barbaric and outdated. Our world has evolved beyond such a code. Instead, we live by the preventing golden rule. But as I said, our society is a living thing…show more content…
It is that people should be treated the way that they want to be treated. Everyone is an individual and cannot be exactly compared to a group. Everyone has different views and preferences that relate to infinite subjects. I personally don't like the hands-on greetings that some of my peers seem to find appropriate. I prefer not to be touched so much. Some people feel disrespected to be greeted with a left hand, when it my be acceptable in another culture. There are so many examples of how individuals want to be treated differently that I could go on listing them, but I wont. I will, however touch on the fact that some people think that that they deserve more then they actually do. It may be unfair to be required to treat a peer like royalty simply because he or she feels entitled to such. This is an extreme scenario, and probably doesn't occur often. But it is important to bring it up for something that needs to be as clear as the golden rule. The golden rule isn't a blindly followed law, however. Instead, it is more of a guideline, or standard. When deciding how to treat someone, you should take into account how they want to be treated. But ultimately, you just have to use common sense and situational awareness. Also, without knowing the person's preferences, you should start at a reasonable level of positive treatment above what you expect. But with only the rule to guide a person's actions, this interpretation is the least vulnerable to extremes. So this really is the most logical meaning of the golden

More about Hammurabi: The Golden Rule

Open Document