The Common Good

The Common Good was defined as "certain general conditions that are...equally to everyone's advantage." That simple question makes me question if certain conditions can be an advantage to everybody. In a World where people have their own unique and specific goals and self-interests, it seems impossible that there are things out there that satisfy everyone. Different people have different ideas about what is worthwhile or what constitutes "the good life for human beings", differences that have increased during the last few decades as the voices of more and more previously silenced groups, such as women and minorities, have been heard. Everyone has their own agenda and like everything else in this World, certain things are just impossible to agree on. For example the article mentions universal healthcare as a common good. Would richer people who have to pay more taxes to provide for those less fortunate think that is an advantage? Then you also face the problem of people who just take from the common good of society. They are referred to as "free-riders" and are those who take the benefits the common good provides while refusing to do their part to support the common good. For common goods to take place, some people need to take sacrifices and give up things in order to benefit people. Unfortunately we live in a selfish society where most people don't do anything unless it directly benefits them. Americans are too focused on individual goals and protecting individual freedoms that the idea of a common good is abstract. In conclusion, the "common good" is unattainable because its unrealistic to imagine we could have something that everyone can agree on and that will benefit everyone. That's not to say that it does not exist, but we as a country cannot go and and try to achieve it, it comes naturally over time. The "common good" is at the core of any situation where two or more people form a partnership, group or country. The reason many organizations exist is to provide a common defense, mass-transit, public safety, public health and many other functions. Without common good, there would be no other reason to form an association That simple concept unites our country and helps us strive to become a better nation.