“Truly a legend in our time, John Templeton understands that the real measure of a person's success in life is not a financial accomplishment but moral integrity and inner character.” —Billy Graham  “This book belongs to the list of seminal publications of the twentieth century. How grateful the world will be that John Templeton has shared his secret openly, forthrightly, packed with integrity and healing powers.”  —Robert Schuller   As a pioneer in both financial investments and philanthropy, Sir John Templeton spent a lifetime encouraging open-mindedness. Templeton started his Wall Street career in 1937 and went on to create some of the world’s largest and most successful international investment funds, eventually earning the label of “arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century” from Money magazine. In 1972, he established the world’s largest annual award given to an individual: the £1,000,000 Templeton Prize. The Prize is intended to recognize exemplary achievement in work related to life’s spiritual dimension. Templeton also contributed a sizable amount of his fortune to the John Templeton Foundation, which he established in 1987. Templeton passed away in 2008, but the Foundation that bears his name continues to award millions of dollars in annual grants in pursuit of its mission to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for research on what scientists and philosophers call the “big questions.” Discovering the Laws of Life By John Marks Templeton Continuum Copyright © 1994 John Marks Templeton All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59947-317-8 CHAPTER 1 WEEK ONE : LAW A The golden rule. Jesus gave his own wording to the Golden Rule and it is expressed in various forms in every major religion. Similar ideas of conduct are found in the literature of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and in the writings of Aristotle, Plato and Seneca. Confucius taught the negative form. In Jewish literature the negative form of the Rule appears in various places as "What you hate do not do to anyone." The words used by Jesus for the Golden Rule are found in Matthew 7:12 and also Luke 6:31. In five different translations of the New Testament the Golden Rule is stated in the following words: 1. King James Version: And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 2. Revised Standard Version: And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 3. New English Bible: Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Always treat others as you would like them to treat you: that is the Law and the Prophets. 4. Phillips Modern English: Treat men exactly as you would like them to treat you. Treat other people exactly as you would like to be treated by them—this is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. 5. Jerusalem Bible: Treat others as you would like them to treat you. So always treat others as you would like them to treat you: that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. WEEK ONE : LAW B Listen to learn. There's an old saying that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we may hear more and talk less. How well we use our ears will play an important part in determining what we learn as we go through life. A major reason why relationships break down is that one or more of the parties involved hasn't learned to listen. Listening is a learned skill and when we develop it to the fullest, we not only increase our capacity to learn but increase our ability to maintain healthy relationships. Ironically, deaf people are often better listeners than those of us who can hear. As those deaf people who sign communicate, they must remain focused on the movement of each other's hands. Those of you who can hear must develop that high level of concentration in order to be good listeners. There are two kinds of listening—active and passive. Most of us are good at passive listening. We appear to be listening when, in fact, our minds have wandered off to the movie we saw last night or what we're going to wear tomorrow. We do it during lectures, we do it during sermons, we do it during television shows, and even with close friends and family members. Active listening is difficult because it requires staying focused on what the speaker is saying. It depends on using our ears the way a photographer uses a camera. To get the best pictures, the photographer must adjust the lens until the settings are right. As active listeners, we must constantly adjust our attention to remain aware of what the speaker is telling us. A presentation by the Sperry Corporation on effective listening quotes studies showing that students spend 60 percent to 70 percent of classroom time listening. In business, listening is cited as one of the most important skills a manager can possess. Sadly, mos