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The Golden Ratio illustrates the Golden Rule in that the proportional relationship that the individual has with others is the same proportional relationship that others have with the All. Since I am part of the All, what I get as part of the All is the same as what the others gave to the All, except that I receive it not directly to me, an individual, but as part of the grand whole. This creates a path of giving and receiving that is not one to one but encompasses everybody in the universe. And if for nothing else, that is a good reason to be good to others, to manifest divine love for all the people we come in contact with daily.
This can be seen as the love a parent might have for their children. A wise parent does not want their love to only be directly reciprocated to them, but also out to others. They want to do good for their kids so that their kids can do good to society and to the world and universe.
The hitch in actually doing this might seem that in manifesting love for others, a finite being, you, have to have the same perspective as the All, an eternal entity (God). Which means that one must equal infinity. (1= ¥)
This may seem impossible in mathematics, but not quite. Using time as an example, we can split any second or moment in half, and then half it again, ad infinitum. So in any one finite moment, there is the potentiality of an infinite amount of time.
In spirituality, the finite human being has within the eternal divine spark, and by connecting with this inner source, one can achieve the eternal viewpoint--the love of our Creator.
So, phi, the Golden Rule and the Divine Proportion/Golden Ratio are indeed both sides of the same coin, looking at the harmony and order of the universe from both the linear, mathematical viewpoint and also from the mystical, spiritual side. An elliptical formula, if you will.
To live the true Golden Rule (or the Platinum Rule, as some would prefer to call it) one looks at the big picture from the eternal viewpoint. As more people begin to do this, the more profound the effect will be on our world.
III. Relationship With Ourselves
To propel our human vehicle, we must deal with the universe in which we work, play and live, we must interact with other people with whom we socialize and fellowship, and we must realize, actualize and master our self. In a sense, our self is a microcosm of the All, a fractal universe of its own that we inhabit. In order to master our selves, to drive this vehicle, we must know our own desires.
The Big Picture of Our Lives
What do we want in life? Not superficially, as in we want a life of comfort and enjoyable stimulation, but in the big picture of our lives, what is it that we truly want? If upon the completion of our allotted time here, we look back on our life, what is it that we would be satisfied with having accomplished? Would you die feeling happy if you had a lot of beautiful houses, cars and land? Would you die satisfied with your life if you had completed many works of an academic, artistic, social or spiritual nature? Or maybe your happiness would be contingent on the fulfillment of loving relationships, such as with your family and friends. Looking at life similarly now, what is it about your life you are satisfied with at this moment? And what more do you need to do to further your satisfaction with your life?
Previously, I mentioned that the purpose of life is to choose value. How does that translate into practical terms in the big picture, in terms of the now as it is reflected fractally into eternity?
I think most of us judge whether our life is worth living, its value, by how happy we are. Life may often seem to be filled with adversities and challenges, or life may seem like a bowl of cherries. The key word here is "seems," for it is often our perception that determines how we view the various circumstances that shape our daily existence. Many, if not all of our problems may be imaginary. So many people are distraught and stressed by things in the past and the future; things that have come and gone that are the focus of regret, guilt and shame, and also by things that may never happen; worries and fears of what may or may not come about. Basically, these things of the past and future are unreal in the now, they are not of the now and is a product of imagination. Of course, although they are not real in the present moment, they do affect us as we are now and we must consider their ramifications. We must learn from the lessons of the past and think of our actions now as they may be reflected in the future. For surely, ignoring the signs of the past and present can lead to an unwanted future. But we must not let the memories of the past and our prognostications of the future shape our lives so much that it leads to unhappiness, grief, and negative thinking. We must put the past and the future in perspective, realizing that it is the now that we inhabit. To learn from the lessons of the past, do we need guilt and shame? To bring about desirable things in the future, do we need to fret and worry? No. Through mindfulness of our past mistakes and a sincere willingness to change we can benefit from the errors of the past. Through realistic assessment of our present life coupled with ongoing dynamic and positive actions we can have good prospects for bringing about the desired future. Guilt, shame, fret and worry sap our energies and leads to negative thinking which in turn leads to negative results.
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