For a few days now, I've been thinking about the common good.
I started because one day, I saw some posts by friends on social media. They were all sharing about how their words and actions were driven by the common good. Yet, they were on opposite sides in such a polarized moment we are living in.
And it struck me.
Shouldn't the common good be common?
How come we are working the "common" good, yet we found ourselves taking sides and fighting?
Plenty of philosophers, theologists, economists and thinkers of all sorts have explored the subject from every possible angle. So, I'm not questioning the meaning of "common good".
However, I'm aware that my idea of what is good and what is not can be vastly different from everyone else idea. Most probably, there are more than 7 billion different nuances in the world when it comes to the meaning of "good".
However, when I add the adjective "common" to my idea of good, I'm implying that my vision should also be yours and everyone’s. All of a sudden, I feel righteous. Whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it for everyone, even for the ones who don't understand.
But am I? Do I really know what is good for you?
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Maybe, I'm just envious of all the people who know with certainty what the common good is, while I have mostly doubts even about my own good.
Edit: I found this video, and I feel it’s a great way to close today’s apple.