Common good, that which benefits society as a whole, in contrast to the private good of individuals and sections of society.
The advent of the Trump administration has surfaced a high level of cultural distress. The avalanche of derisive rhetoric, bigotry, racism, sexism, false news, outright lies, and religious persecution has produced a public response of anger, righteous indignation, and animosity. The ongoing level of public protest marches, town hall meetings, presidential tweeting and media response clearly indicates that political discourse has gone well beyond business as usual.
We find ourselves confronted once again with who are we, what are our basic values and beliefs, just what kind of a nation do we want to be?
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address words come to mind: “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” And further on: “testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” And certainly Jefferson articulated our ideal aspiration as a nation:
“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.” And our Statue of Liberty emblazoned our basic values of compassion and empathy: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free….”
And yet, right from the beginning we’ve been confronted with the divisive conundrum we face today: Just what is the appropriate balance between the private good of individuals and sections of society and the common good, that which benefits society as a whole. The issue is addressed in the writings of Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Adam Smith, and in The Federalist Papers. Over the years major steps have been made toward fulfilling those founding ideals; the end of slavery, woman’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, the New Deal. And each step purchased with a high level of civic disorder and chaos.
• At this point two very different worldviews are causing the current cavernous red/blue split in our nation. Each is supported by underlying beliefs and values which provide the moral grounds for those worldviews. A progressive vision which purports that democracy depends on citizens caring about each other and taking responsibility both for themselves and for others. This implies that individual responsibility is inseparable from social responsibility, which requires a strong commitment to the Public Good: to public infrastructure, public education, public health, public transportation, public policing, and access to food, clothing and shelter.
• A conservative vision which purports that democracy is about liberty, individual responsibility, and self-reliance. In this the freedom to fulfill one’s self-interest minimizes concern for the interests of others. This implies a minimal public system and a maximal private system. Free market capitalism without interference from government regulation.
These two opposing worldviews must be taken off the battlefield and seen not as goal posts, but placed on a continuum, enabling periodic shifts in balance rather a divisive ideological win/lose fight to the finish.
Much of the current cultural distress and protest is precipitated by the Trump administration’s apparent surge toward the private market end of the values continuum evoking the fear that the existing social safety net (food stamps, Social Security, healthcare, Medicare) will be eliminated and income inequality will be exacerbated.
The fundamental values that support continued progress toward the democratic ideal “of the people, by the people and for the people” are fairness, freedom, equality, responsibility, integrity, and security. Because individual responsibility is, indeed, inseparable from social responsibility, movement toward the Public Good end of the continuum is now in order.
• Bill Dillon is a retired educator, psychotherapist and organization development consultant. He is a member of Veterans for Peace and lives in Juneau.
