A friend posted an article about a recent chemical spill in
West Virginia.[1]
It got me thinking about what is the
common good?
Perhaps our political will for the common good of society is
best articulated in the Preamble to
the Constitution:
We
the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[2]
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.
We all benefit from
shared common good efforts. For example,
no matter how fast your car can go, without paved roads, you not going very
fast or at all. So paved roads, police
and fire departments, education systems, military, parks and libraries are some
of the common efforts our society has valued for the shared common good. To maintain what benefits all citizens takes
shared costs, planning and the will to make a difference.
Years ago I was visiting one of my favorite zoos, Brookfield
Zoo in the Chicago area.[3]
Speaking of common good the Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit
organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by the Forest Preserves
of Cook County. But I digress. Among some new displays at the Zoo was a nest
of South American roaches. I took one
look and said, “No one can contain roaches!”
Visiting the Zoo several months later, I was not surprised to see these
same roaches in the Primate House. Good
news, the monkeys were eating them.
Whether it is a tiger in Indian, oilspill in the Gulf or
roaches in Brookfield, we need to know that for the common good we must realize
that all our best efforts to contain dangerous and destructive forces will
fail. Containment needs to be made while
plans for restoration are put in place when containment fails. Such plans require a common effort of all
parties involved. The storage facility in West Virginia had not been inspected for 22 years. Not a good choice for the common good.
Our society also has a deeply engrained value of
individualism. Such value is also found
in our foundational documents such as the Declaration
of Independence:
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.
My individual pursuit of happiness may not include exploring
a national park or cleaning up a chemical spill in West Virginia or even
driving a car, but I understand that my communal bonds require sacrifice for
the common good of the whole of my society of which I am a vital part, as are
all people.
The need for support of the common good is also a strong
Biblical value.[4]
The prophet Mica wrote:
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the
Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly
with your God?” 6:8
The early church found value in the common good: “They
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs
were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all
things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute
the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:42-45
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one
another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” John
13:34
Individual life, liberty and happiness are vital to a free
society but never at the cost of the common good. Balance between these two often competing
values must be struck. I think this is
also true of our private life. I think
we all have a bit of Gollum[5]
in our desires, “I wants it!” is not enough to thwart the shared value of our common
good. I am grateful for paved roads,
running water, soldiers in our military and teachers in our schools. I live move and have my being in a world designed
by our Creator to provide us all that we need as long as we share with one
another.
I dedicate this blog to all those who sacrifice so much that
we would have a common good to share.
Blessings, Linda
[2]
In the hand-written engrossed copy of the Constitution maintained in the
National Archives, the British spelling "defence" is used in the
preamble (See the National Archives transcription and the Archives' image of
the engrossed document. Retrieved both web pages on October 24, 2009.) For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preamble_to_the_United_States_Constitution
[5]
Character from Lord of Rings
