A Vision of Goodness

This year I wrote extensively on this blog about the pursuit of goodness for the world as a whole and for individuals within that global sphere.  Certainly goodness is about as subjective a topic as one could opt to write about, nevertheless, pursuit of goodness seems to me to be the core reason for existence. As a capstone for my 2016 contemplations, here is a summary of the aspects of goodness that I perceive deserve pursuit with compassion and rationality at every turn.

Respect for the Universe.  Everything begins with matter and energy and their organization spatially.  Having a healthy awe for and understanding of all things from galaxies to quarks helps set the stage for any experience that might be called good.

Respect for the Environment.  On Earth, a healthy environment underlies the natural cycles and interconnected ecosystems that all species depend on. Minimizing human impact long term is critical to maintaining a healthy world.

Respect for Communities. Whether we're talking about society as a whole, a specific living species, a peaceful human sect, or a complex biome, there is goodness in the emergent qualities that groups of individuals bring to the world.

Respect for Individuals. All living things have value. Self awareness, consciousness, and the capability to experience sufferring and thriving are some of the elements contained within the package of an individual. Yet no single individual of any species has infinite value, which presents a challenging reality.
Respect for Abstraction.  Ideas, creativity, emotion, art, science, music, mathematics, story-telling, adventure, dreams et al. The variety of abstract concepts are uncountable as the stars, and play a critical role in the lives of thinking creatures and their world.

Each of these elements deserves great consideration by human individuals and communities worldwide. Recognizing the interrelatedness  of these elements and their impact on the rest of the world needs must drive progressive systems and behaviors, if our journey is to be one of goodness.

imperfect sunset