Golden Rule Day

In a divided world full of conflict and mistrust, a grassroots movement has emerged to remind every person on the planet that we share one thing in common: the Golden Rule: Treat others and the Planet as you would like to be treated. These words are found in sacred texts of most all organized religions, throughout history.Golden Rule Day has been celebrated since 2007 by 700 organizations in 140 countries. This year, global organizations and spiritual and religious leaders around the world are teaming up to remind us all that the Golden Rule still matters. On Thursday, April 5, the world is invited to watch a 24-hour webcast devoted to the Golden Rule. All programming will be streamed through Facebook Live and on the website: www.GoldenRuleDay.org.   

Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi shared, "May this Day reverberate throughout the world and cause real ripples of change a change which must start with us."Charter for Compassion founder Karen Armstrong (UK) said “I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the Golden Rule.” Pioneer of the Golden Rule Day, Ambassador Mussie Hailu, who is a founding member of the United Religions Initiative (URI) and currently serving as Global Envoy for URI and Regional Director of URI-Africa said, “For a culture of peace, inter-religious & inter-cultural harmony, respect among nations, human dignity and social justice to prevail on Earth, it is high time to promote the teaching of the Golden Rule.”

“This 24-hour event is about affirming our goodness: compassion, kindness, empathy, caring for the Earth and animals, loving each other,” said Susan Soleil, executive director of the US-based Golden Rule Project. “That is all encompassed in the Golden Rule. It is easy to recite the Golden Rule but harder to practice it. Golden Rule Day is for remembering and practicing.” International webcast offerings include starting out with World Peace Prayers offered by the Goi Peace Foundation in Japan, an interview with Australia mega-star Lior, and the playing of the Compassion Symphony, a discussion on kindness led by Indian pop singer Nimo Patel, students from the Middle East, Pakistan and India sharing thoughts on kindness, stories from South Africa, an interview on the importance of the Golden Rule to care for the Earth from the United Kingdom, and person-on-the-street interviews with visitors to New York’s Central Park about the meaning of the Golden Rule.“

The Golden Rule is the foundation that underpins the work of the United Religions Initiative's nearly 1,000 Cooperation Circle member organizations in 104 countries,” said The Rev. Victor Kazanjian, Executive Director of United Religions Initiative.“They are applying the Golden Rule every day as we work together to build a more compassionate and just world - with and for people of all religions, spiritual expressions and Indigenous traditions. This webcast provides us with a wonderful opportunity to hear the stories of the amazing things that happen when people apply the Golden Rule and to take time to reflect on what more we can do to live and spread the Golden Rule all around the world.”

Visit GoldenRuleDay.org to register for this free day of inspirational speakers, videos, and musical offerings. People who visit the site and affirm the Charter for Compassion will be entered into a random drawing for tickets to the smash-hit Broadway musical Come From Away in New York City.Watch Euphrates' contribution to the Golden Rule Day webcast, which will air at 7pm PDT on Thursday, April 5th.