LIFE’S SILVER RULE: A little bit of thought – and lateral thinking – soon makes you realize that this is a rule with which you can do business!

In simple terms, the Silver Rule of Life is all about not doing harm! It has been somewhat allied to the doctor Hippocratic Oath.

If there is something which you would not like other people to do to you, then avoid doing that thing to others!

It is much like the Golden Rule of Life, but it lets you off the hook in many aspects of human behaviour. It is easier to avoid doing any kind of harm to others, than it is to ‘specifically’ do ‘good’ things for others!

You may see it as a rather passive approach to life and its peculiarities. But, you can avoid doing bad or harmful things, rather than ‘proactively’ doing things which are good.

It almost allows you to carry on life in a laid back way, by avoiding the ‘nasties’. But it helps you avoid many things that make life a little bit complicated from time to time.

There are those that call the Silver Rule of Life ‘the rule of reciprocity’ but in its reverse meaning. Thus, don’t do anything that you would not want done to yourself, such as:

• Do not steal from others.
• Do not harm others in any way that you yourself would not want.

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Silver Rule Example

The Silver Rule of Life is not all about physical actions and deeds. It requires thought and meaningful actions to enrich your life in a spiritual way. Though whether that would also mean an enriched ‘material’ life is open to debate. For example:

• People employed in a middle management situation, in theory, should help and enable those below them to carry out their work in a meaningful way. They should assist them in their ultimate aim of improving themselves and gaining promotion. You would not ‘purposely’ act to stand in their way of bettering themselves and getting a promotion.
• This is because you yourself would not want those above you ‘not’ to do anything that would stand in the way of ‘your’ progress and promotion.
• But, hierarchical structures of management are often based upon the pyramid system. In the pyramid, there is more room at the bottom, and making progress upwards is quite easy. But, halfway up the pyramid – where you are – there is less scope for upward movement without easing obstacles [people] out of the next level.

Human nature has it, that those further up the pyramid will often squash any movement below their tier. This is especially so if it could put their own position in jeopardy. In simple terms, there is not too much room at the top!

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