We join things because we believe there will be benefit – to us, to others or both. We join a gym to better our health and appearance. We join a club out of a common interest (I am a member of a Jeep Wrangler Club) We join an organization because of the good they do. (Rotary and Kiwanis meet weekly at Canterbury) We join a church because of faith and wanting to connect to our higher calling. In all these there is a common good that is shared that makes the world a better place.
The idea of a Common Good is ancient, being found in the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato. It is a consistent thread through history weaving between religious, political and economic thinkers. It cannot be qualified in a single definition but is rooted in the ideas of: good law and government; justice for all as expressed in the Declaration of Independence; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Explicit in this phrase is a sense of belonging, of joining a community for the “common” good. At the heart of partnership is this idea we are working together for something that is mutually beneficial to the parties involved.
At Canterbury by working with marketplace and business folks, churches and non-profits, civic and societal institutions we are working to make the world a better place. We labor and hope for an end to strife and violence, poverty and need. We seek understanding, true communication and even enlightenment. By being a Canterbury Partner you join us in this work.
Reflection: What partnerships are you part of? Where are you making a difference and contributing to the common good?
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