Fulfillment of the law

I came across a verse today in church that stayed with me all day, from Romans 13:9, 10: "The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

For me there's no better way to sum up the ultimate advice: Love does no harm to its neighbor. If people lived by that, or at least made better efforts to do so, what a much better place this world would be. That cuts out quite a few of the things we do, our governments do, our religions do, our societal structures do. There's a lot of justifications made for harming our neighbors, but in the end they're justifications for actions that lead to more violence, hatred, greed and heartache.

They also give me a job. I can't believe some of the awful things people do to each other, especially family. I'm still amazed when I hear stories of trusted family members looting others' inheritances, or even stealing it while the owner's still alive and wasting away under shockingly awful care. Love does no harm to its neighbor. And there's not much wiggle room, as "neighbor" pretty much includes everybody. Whatever one's religious belief, if any, it seems difficult to argue with this idea.

Once damage has been done, and redress is sought in the courtroom, lawyers prepare the case for trial, as they should. However, the best solutions are reached before trial, especially in mediation, after both sides consider the position of the other. If respect, and the possibility of reconciliation, are given, resolution is possible. With the idea of doing no harm to your neighbor, the best, and even the most advantageous, solutions happen.