Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31
“Nothing is independent of its neighbor.”
Tertullian of Carthage (155-220) in On Idolatry Chapter 8, entitled, “Other arts made subservient to idolatry. Lawful means of gaining a livelihood abundant.”
Interestingly, one of the responses to my sermon on Sunday (click here to listen and click here for sermon slides) related to the idea of interdependence. If we exhibit Christian generosity, one form of evidence is our interdependent living.
Or as Paula Mendoza, one of my colleagues at GTP always says, “Everything is connected to God and to everything else.” Because of this, our Lord calls us to act toward others the way we want them to act toward us.
Back in America, on of our most celebrated holidays is “Independence Day.” So, my home culture sends a strong message that healthy behavior is “independent” behavior.
In the Chinese cultural context, Confucius says the opposite as well, “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want done unto you.” This posture has people moving away from each other rather than toward each other.
Since the Greatest Commandment has us moving toward and connecting with God and our neighbor, let us move beyond the cultural pattern of independence and pursue the Christian vision of interdependence.