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OneGrassRoot

(22,917 posts)
Fri Sep 25, 2015, 12:25 PM Sep 2015

Will The Common Good finally enter our national/global dialogue?

Last edited Sat Sep 26, 2015, 09:01 AM - Edit history (1)

Five years ago my work was attacked on Glenn Beck's Fox News show precisely because I frequently use wording such as the COMMON GOOD. That verbiage was attacked as communist/socialist/fascist/Nazi talk...lol.

I haven't shied away from using that language, because those words form the basis of my personal moral compass.

I mention this again because, if you've been paying attention to the Pope's speeches the last two days, he has used the phrase "common good" A LOT. A lot, a lot. I really hope there will be a shift in perspective for the people who were previously nervous about language such as the Common Good.

Whether religious, spiritual or atheist, caring about the Common Good and embracing an awareness of the interconnectedness of all life -- all life on this Earth, home to us all -- is the way forward. It can manifest in different ways, but I believe wholeheartedly that this awareness is the only way to stop the destruction.

I would greatly appreciate you reading the following about the Coalition for Good. (I previously called it Chamber of Commons but have reverted to this name, which is more broad in scope and global, unlike the various Chamber of Commons efforts I recently discovered, and wholeheartedly support.)

It is all about The Common Good.


* * *

Before launching website, I’m sharing the following, which outlines the basic values and vision upon which I envision a values-based coalition can be built. How we can act upon these values, including connecting with those already doing commons-oriented work, will be added to the website. The Coalition is one of the “Six Degrees of Good” projects under the Our Good umbrella.


Our commitment to The Common Good begins with expanding and deepening our capacity to care.

With care comes trust;
with trust come compassion and empathy;
with compassion and empathy come justice and healing;
with justice and healing comes peace;
with peace we can create meaningful, sustainable lives and societies.

But, first, we must care.



WHO ARE WE?

An alliance of community-supportive, commons-oriented, caring, ethical individuals (activists, entrepreneurs, community members, organizers and leaders), businesses, enterprises and organizations committed to our Common Good. The Chamber of Commons is a membership organization connecting all who are guided and inspired by the following caring values:

Compassion
Courage
Inclusivity
Collaboration
Integrity
Optimism
Transparency
Wisdom


WHY WAS THE COALITION FOR GOOD CREATED?

To provide a truly cooperative, collaborative, international membership organization built on solidarity, with the goal of catalyzing systemic transformation toward a caring, compassionate, just, sustainable world.

The Coalition is envisioned as a galvanizing hub for the growing movements for systems change; it is also the conscience or touchstone for our stated shared values.


HOW DO WE PROPOSE TO INITIATE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE?

By working together to raise awareness of The Commons, and to cultivate and support:

– Caring Business & Commerce
– Caring Culture
– Caring Democracy
– Caring Economy
– Caring Ecosystems
– Caring Education

The Coalition for Good acts as a clearinghouse for aligned individuals, businesses, enterprises and organizations which have specific areas of focus compatible with Caring Values and the above Caring Systems.


WHAT IS THE COALITION’S VISION?

Members of The Coalition for Good pledge to:

• CARE…care about, care for and care with others toward the goal of supporting Our Common Good. (Caregiverism)

• Recognize and support non-violent measures aimed at economic, racial, social and environmental justice and equality.

• Remember that money is a tool, not a value and not the ultimate end goal of any endeavor.

• Align with the following caring values and incorporate them into your decision-making process:

• Compassion: Decisions are made with compassion and empathy; not only for yourself, your family and your organization, or your local community but for the Common Good, which includes all life on this planet we all call home.

• Courage: Decisions are made with courage to choose more nurturing, less exploitative and destructive actions; the courage to allow for “enoughness” rather than the constant market-driven quest for growth; and the courage to defend and support economic, racial, social and environmental justice and equality. We acknowledge that we have the power to change the trajectory we’re on as a species, and how we’re impacting other humans, other species and the planet.

• Inclusivity: Decisions are made with all levels of community in mind: Individuals, families, neighborhoods, local community, national community, global community. We appreciate how important diversity is in sustaining healthy ecosystem-aware organizations. The desire for solidarity and harmony drives our inclusive decisions.

Cooperation & Collaboration: Decisions are made with the knowledge that robust diversity and genuine cooperation, rather than prohibitive and often detrimental competition and fragmentation that have become our norm, are necessary for lasting success which benefits The Common Good. While we may focus our energy and resources on one specific issue, we acknowledge the importance of and need for other members’ work in the realm of justice, equality and systemic transformation and support them as we are able. At the very least, we care. Caring is not a competition.

• Integrity: Decisions are made by individuals and the organization as a whole with sincere respect for The Common Good as the guiding force. We pledge to stand up and speak out against oppression and exploitation in all forms and to not be willing participants in the same. Honesty and Respect = Integrity.

• Optimism: We believe that the way things are is not how they must remain. Visionary, hopeful, community care-based thinking is supported and encouraged. We are committed to putting our optimism and awareness of The Common Good into action via practical actions and choices.

• Transparency: We pledge to be mindful of transparency and to remain open to meaningful, respectful discussion (for organizations, both internally and externally) as we strive to maintain the values of the Coalition.

• Wisdom: We pledge to do our best to make wise decisions. Wise decisions are balanced, thoughtful, mindful and sustainable, informed via critical thinking, individual intuitive wisdom and collective wisdom. Wise decisions consider the impact of our actions on different sectors of The Common Good: civic, economic, cultural, and environmental.

To work for the Common Good requires an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. True progress is achieved when members of a community, convinced of this interconnectedness, engage in actions that transcend individual interest and benefit the whole…the whole of Humanity and the whole of this planet we all call home.

What would our communities look like if Caring Values were embraced and acted upon by more individuals, enterprises, organizations and institutions, with a dedication to The Common Good? Imagine the potential transformation toward justice, equality and harmony in our culture, civic life, economic activities, and the environment.

Joining The Coalition for Good is one action which puts us on a path of solidarity, a new way of doing and being, a path which runs parallel and collaborates with many other efforts which are aligned with and supportive of Our Common Good.

For now, if you resonate with the above, please rec and keep this kicked. If you are on Facebook, please *like* the Facebook Page to show your support for the values and mission as stated above.

I'm very curious how the members here at DU feel about this.

https://www.facebook.com/CoalitionforGood

If you would like to share this, here is the original link, with the above content: http://ourgood.org/coalition-for-good/



11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Will The Common Good finally enter our national/global dialogue? (Original Post) OneGrassRoot Sep 2015 OP
I don't know why this kind of stuff is ignored here. knr n/t freemay20 Sep 2015 #1
... OneGrassRoot Sep 2015 #10
Once it stops being cool to be a cynic or a nihilist, then maybe. haele Sep 2015 #2
Well said... OneGrassRoot Sep 2015 #4
"the interconnectedness of all things" DirkGently Sep 2015 #3
Thank you... OneGrassRoot Sep 2015 #8
Kick and REC!! nt hifiguy Sep 2015 #5
Recommended. mmonk Sep 2015 #6
... OneGrassRoot Sep 2015 #9
Needs MOAR KNR! DirkGently Sep 2015 #7
Common Good liberal from boston Sep 2015 #11

haele

(12,581 posts)
2. Once it stops being cool to be a cynic or a nihilist, then maybe.
Fri Sep 25, 2015, 02:50 PM
Sep 2015

But there's still a small loud group of self-absorbed useful idiots hogging the stage with their gleefully nasty prodding that makes the "common good" or the archetypal Golden Rule seem weak or somehow out on the fringes in the mainstream.

You ask most people, and they want to live in a communal system where everyone is respected, and most are willing to pitch-in and share if there's a benefit to everyone when they do so. But most people also don't want to be on the "outs", or stick out in opposition.

So the minority of a-holes can always use that last inclination to set things up for their own advantage. Just have to keep pointing them out as selfish, childish hypocrites, and eventually, people will get tired of the BS.

I'm with you, even though sometimes it's just very tiring thinking that because others are silent, you're the one pulling the load.


Haele

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
3. "the interconnectedness of all things"
Fri Sep 25, 2015, 02:54 PM
Sep 2015

I'm in.

It's a good place to start. We have somehow been convinced that there is no obligation to the common good, and that human culture and society is actually supposed to be a loosely-knit group of warring tribes trying frantically to screw each over for a buck.

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