Rediscovering the common good

After several electoral tests, societies are undoubtedly broken, bitter and divided. A section of the population feels marginalised and disenfranchised from public life. Another segment may give in to hubris and overconfidence. There has never been a better time to rediscover the principle tenets that make up the common good.

In my piece in The Sunday Times (18.VI.2017), I argue that after the several divisive electoral tests, Malta's being no exception, we need to move beyond looking at sectoral or tribal interest and rediscover the value of the common good. I suggest that Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, can provide some excellent food for thought:

"The common good is difficult to define. It does not suggest that one should repudiate the vital role of individuals in society; on the contrary, it implies that no society could function without individuals and families. It points to the fact that both individuals and families have one common thread that unites them regardless of their interests and identities.

That unifying factor is the shared space they all have a stake in. In the encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI rightly states that to take a stand for the common good implies both having concern for and participating in the “complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society”."

The full article may be read here.