Universal Versus Personal

We know about life through personal experience. What matters to us means something immediately recognizable. Over time we come to accept those meanings as important. We observe the same with close family members. Little by little we notice differences in what matters to them versus me. I then realized that meanings are broader than I thought and are valued differently among different people.

There are universal meanings, of course, but not as many as I thought there were. Most of us would agree that taking another human life is wrong. Yet, in the name of society – our society – we take life from others. Usually, this murder is during war time, but not always. Government policy directs some murders, too, although not connected with war. Of course, we come to detest some people and wish they were dead, but we don’t take that action and would deplore it if someone did.

Another universal meaning or value is access to education. We realize that dealing with an educated person is much easier than an ignorant person. Good education helps people become more of what they can be, invent more, represent an expanded social value to the rest of our society, too. Education is a common good. It helps people manage their own life and not rely so much on the state. Education creates social order, commercial interests and values, a stronger economy and a standard of living that is easily shared across hundreds of millions of people. Global interests are advanced as well. Stripping people of their access to education cripples them and the rest of us in what they cannot do, become or produce for the common good. Education is an investment in self and others that pay huge dividends for everyone. At the same time, it reduces the need for governments to do more for its population.

Closely related to education, is collaboration. Working together as individuals, teams or corporations, much is accomplished. This is a powerful means of inventing and creating. It helps operations to produce goods and services, too. So much comes from collaboration. It is built on educated people, skilled people, and willing people. Cooperation is the result of being aware of common good dependent on the efforts of many.

Being only aware of self leads to selfishness. This also leads to distrusting others with a concomitant avoidance of cooperation and collaboration. Huh. Seems there is a lot of that going around these days.

April 2, 2025

 

 

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