Double Measurement

Double Measurement an individual or group may ask for honour, or respect, or services, which for their part he or they are not willing to give in similar circumstances. It is worse than one-sided selfishness: for it is double injustice. But its worst manifestation is in religion or spiritual life: how can a man have the effrontery to ask for mercy or love from God when he grudges giving either to his fellow men? There is a golden rule which should be borne in mind: ‘Do as you would be done by.’ To give this more complete expression—you must give in full measure what is due from you, whether you expect or wish to receive full consideration from the other party or not. The integrity of one who is engaged in such double practice is highly dubious. It is almost inhuman. There is not even any animal on the earth that is reported to involve itself in such a practice. It is only man who behaves in this way out of pure selfinterest. Self-interest is a decidedly human phenomenon; in the animal dictionary there is no such word as self-interest. All animals are predictable in character; it is only man who fails to behave in a predictable manner. The reason for this difference is that animals have no freedom of choice. But man has freedom of choice. It is this unlimited freedom that creates the problem. A true believer is one who never stoops to ‘double measurement’. One who is not flawed by this evil is a predictable character. You can trust him. You can live in his neighbourhood with the certain knowledge that he is not going to create any problems for you.