It's survival AND happiness, which again is key to survival. It goes down to the root of existence itself - it sustains the want to be alive.
I asked you earlier, but got no direct answer: What's the benefit of 1 Samuel 15:3? What's the benefit of the killing of David's child? After all, it's part of your scriptures... is it better to ignore it as human addition, as you implied earlier, and therefore call the entire prophecy of Samuel from your god to commit genocide, as falsehood?
The Golden Rule is a tool - a tool to make moral decisions, the only tool required. Insofar as that is concerned, what it is operating on has greater value than the tool itself, but without the tool, that 'greater value' is lost.
Ok, that would make the golden rule dependent on the value of survival and happiness.
Are these absolute values or are they valuable because
I've answered the Samuel question at least twice and expounded copiously on how I view the OT in general. You're still looking to argue with a bible-thumper and you don't have one here. I can point you to another thread if you're just dying to. :)