“Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons.”—Garrett Hardin
One of the most meaningful assignments I ever did in college was a paper my sophomore year or so in a Geography course that was on the “Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin. (I still have the paper.) In the “Tragedy of the Commons”, Hardin focuses on sustainability, shared-resources, population growth, etc., but I have found that this one assignment has shaped my thinking in many more ways and has some role in the development of my vision of “well-centered fitness”. Certainly, at the heart of Spiritual well-centeredness in the idea of a communal responsibility in the universe. Of course, some of the concepts presented by Hardin are arguable, but the notion of responsibility remains, and, hence, the paper has come to mind frequently over my last 30+ years.
It came to mind recently in a discussion about higher education. In my opinion, we educators tend to give lip service to the notion of “liberal studies” and preparation for public life beyond career preparation. There is a tendency to speak of a broad educational experience until we are asked to let go of control of our own courses and curriculum. This is a much deeper argument than I intend to make here, but it sparked my thinking about Spiritual well-centeredness (or lack thereof) and trends in our society.
The great divisions that we are seeing socially and politically are a battle for control of the “Commons”. It is anything but Spiritual. These divisions are far from “well”. There is sense of “us against them” and an unwillingness to share and cooperate. Frankly, I thought we were taught about sharing in Kindergarden.
The “Commons” and Spiritual well-centered fitness are not about compromising one’s values. Rather these are about respect and responsibility toward others. Respect of others seems to be of limited supply in society. Neither you nor I or any of our collective group is the center of the Universe. Thus, we are not the lords of the commons. (The very notion of a commons would dictate as much.)
Our role in the Commons is to sustain the Commons. We need to recognize that others can contribute in ways we cannot and that our differences are not resolved by attacking the opposition, but by, as Stephen Covey wrote, “seeking first to understand and then to be understood.” We cannot do this if we don’t begin from a place of respect.
Division is fueled by division. To become “well-centered”, we have to begin by understanding that we are not at the “center”. We must recognize that we are interdependent and that society loses when we take the divide-and-conquer approach.
You believe your position to be correct? Prove it to be so by your actions. Don’t try to force it upon others.
I have grown to view wellness as a pyramid of interdependent dimensions (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social). I have described the base of the pyramid as being Spiritual and Physical. The Intellectual dimension is built upon these. Social forms the peak of the pyramid, and the Emotional dimension serves as a sort of cornerstone. All are of equal standing, but we mature and flourish when we structure our pursuit as such.
Freedom is a funny thing. We speak of being free, but one is never truly free when others are not likewise free.
Carpe momento!
“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”—Bob Dylan