Jesus, Lincoln and the Common Good

Photo Credit: University of CA., Berkeley

In this week's Interfaith Insight, Douglas Kindschi, director of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at Grand Valley State University writes: Morality is no longer the expectation as long as my side wins. We are drifting further apart into polarization and the so-called "echo chambers" which put the blame on the 'other.' Instead of finding ways to work together, everything is put in terms of "us and them"

Kindschi's observation got me to thinking of a walk I took, earlier this week, with a friend who holds very different political and religious views than me.

We attended the same church for more than two decades, before I left, shortly after the election of 2016. But we remain friends and I highly value his friendship.

Close to the end of our walk, he asked a question about global warming. He wanted to know what was the "end game," of those advocating for action to address this issue. He mentioned that there is a deep divide between the political "right," which, in general, is pro-business and the "left" which is much more interested in societal issues, including what happens to the earth.

My response was that I didn't know what the "end game" was. But I felt the environment shouldn't be a political issue - meaning it shouldn't be framed within 'right' versus 'left' sides. I told my friend that it's a matter of the common good. We all live on the same earth. We are all going to be affected by global warming.

I wasn't interested in casting blame. But I was motivated towards focusing on solutions. And I certainly don't feel that I'm morally superior to someone who isn't as concerned about the environment as I am. 

I find Kindschi's point, that "morality is no longer the expectation as long as my side wins," to be an excellent starting place to looking at the current state of affairs in the US, and the world.

My friend agreed that something needs to be done. He acknowledged that the earth is in trouble. I acknowledged that I didn't have an immediate answer to such a complex challenge. And that is a wonderful entrance into another conversation.

Photo Credit: Kadampa Meditation Center

Finding the common good is the common denominator that is fundamental to a society's functioning. A government within a democratic republic functions effectively with a focus on the common good. 

Finding the common good doesn't mean glossing over our differences. The Braver Angels group comes to mind. Its leaders have created a safe forum within which 'hot-button' issues are discussed without rounds of blaming. The goal is to understand differences, not amplify them. 

In 1861, on the verge of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln urged: "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

We are about to enter the Christmas season - when Christians across the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. Among other things, Jesus was noted for compassion, grace, and love. Three things our world could use more of!