A close look at the world’s sacred traditions reveals a common thread of unity running throughout their core. Where this common thread is most evident is the Golden Rule, a universal expression at the heart of all spiritual truth, the most basic human value, and a basis for the principle of interconnectedness. It is known, understood, and accepted worldwide as an essential ethical and moral injunction.

Among the first expressions were: from the Hindu Tradition, “This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you;” and, from the Jewish Faith, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole of the Torah; all the rest of it is commentary.”

Later expressions were, from the Buddhist tradition, “Hurt not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful;” from the Christian Faith, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you;” and, from the Faith of Islam, “Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

But not until the Baha’i Faith does it become evident what the real context of the Golden Rule is: “If thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.”

Justice is the foundation of the Golden Rule, as well as of a unified reality. Our understanding of justice as a universal spiritual principle evolves as social interactions become more and more complex, and with the progressive release of spiritual energies in each age. What was once essential on the personal level is now essential on the global level.

Global justice – a universal standard of equity and fairness implying no preferential treatment and ultimate regard for the welfare of humanity as a single community – is a prerequisite for the realization of the promise of world peace.