The Common Good of our Community

Last summer I had the opportunity to attend Acton University in Grand Rapids, MI.  Acton University is a four day conference designed to connect good intentions with sound economic principles, teaching knowledge and skills regarding liberty, faith, and free-market economics.  That conference resulted in me beginning to post within “The Contested Public Square.”  I did not have an opportunity to attend that event this summer; however, I still find myself impacted and challenged by the thoughts raised in that venue.  I have taken time to look at some of the topics that were covered this year.  One of the themes that was a part of this year’s conference was the focus of one luncheon speech given by Andy Crouch, entitled “The Common Good in Seven Words.”

That luncheon speech made me think about what “the common good” is, and what the impact of it should be as I make decisions on a day-to-day basis here in Burlington.  Over the last few weeks, I have been struggling with how to make decisions for the benefit of all, or for the common good of our community.  I am also struggling with how you define “the common good” of our community.  The idea that the common good could be defined in 7 words intrigued me, so I took the time to listen to the speech Andy Crouch gave a few weeks ago.  

In that speech, Andy based his definition on social thought from Aristotle, Aquinas, and Pope Leo XIII, among others.  Pope Leo XIII provided a definition for “the Common Good”  as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” This is a fairly detailed definition, which can make understanding it, and implementing it, difficult.  Mr. Crouch tried to make the definition simpler, reducing it to 7 words:  “the flourishing of the vulnerable in community.”  

There are 3 key words, then that define the common good:  flourishing, vulnerable, and community.  Listening to the speech, as well as reading an article he wrote in 2012 entitled “What is So Great About ‘The Common Good’?”, several details can be fleshed out about these three words and what they mean.  Common good, in this definition, is measured by flourishing, or fulfillment; humans becoming all they were intended to be.  From listening to the talk, Andy is saying we need to have an environment where flourishing can occur, and is encouraged to occur.  The other side of this is that flourishing cannot be forced to occur.  People need to have a chance to explore and develop their talents, but we cannot make them do so.  

Vulnerability marks the weaknesses inherent in all people – we all have areas where we need support.  Andy Crouch stated that a society seeking “The Common Good” can measure its progress by how well they do in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable, and provided an example of one of his nieces who suffers from a severely degenerative disease.  From a personal standpoint, I can see the vulnerability in my own family; we have a special needs kid, and I am glad to live in a society that protects his needs.

Common good is also about community, people in everyday relations with others; the common good is not about what is good for the most, but about each person as they relate with one another in small groups.   This last statement means that we do not sacrifice a few for the good of the many as part of achieving the common good.  Each person has dignity.

Under this line of reasoning, “the common good” also means that we cannot live as individuals, but must work together through different groups, whether church, social clubs, or neighborhood associations, to achieve the common good that is derived from the flourishing of the vulnerable in community.  We need to see the inherent value/worth of each person.

There is much more included in what Andy Crouch said and wrote on this topic, and I encourage you to take the time to review it when you have the chance.  It has helped me to think through some of the issues relevant to deciding what “the common good” is and how I should work to achieve it here in Burlington.  The biggest “take-away” I had from the information was the need to recognize and respect the dignity and worth of each individual.  It is very easy for me to look at someone and see a flaw; what I need to remember is they can do the same thing in looking at me.  We can only succeed in community to the extent that we support each other in spite of personal flaws, that we work together in our various groups to help each other succeed.  We need to meet needs through organizations such as Kiwanis.  We need to meet needs through after-school programs located in community centers as well as in the school system.  We need to meet needs through neighborhood associations that are designed to improve the history and identity of a specific area.  We need to meet needs by ensuring that our neighbor is okay when they are not able to get out.

Not everyone is easy to love or respect.  It is all too easy to see things we do not like about others.  Indeed, there are often times things that need to change in others, but I cannot take it out on them or withhold respect until they meet my desires of what they should be like.

I am still confused about how to achieve the common good in Burlington, but I am beginning to see that it cannot happen until this respect is shown, that this care for the individual is present.  Providing an avenue in which all people have the opportunity to flourish requires that this be done.

Over the next week, I have asked a college student who has interned with the City this summer to look at a community program from the perspective of the common good.  I encourage you to look for his posting on this site to catch his perspective.