6.5 Community Relations                                                                                   Version 1.1 March 2012

 

 

This is all preliminary, not well organised yet.

 

This covers agape. 

Community involvement should be a pleasure.  We should be able to participate in the community in safety, feeling secure, free from arbitrary arrest, safe from racist or sexist abuse and random aggression.  But many feel that they can’t, and for some this feeling is more than justified.

We can work out a set of guidelines for involvement with the community, based on the philosophical stance we have taken, our understanding of science and history, and whatever insights and role models we can take from religion, art and culture.  The values we explicitly adopt impact on these guidelines, which should also be an extension of our approach to personal There are integrity, sexual relationships and family life. 

Here is the beginnings of initial draft to indicate the general nature of guidelines we could develop in this context.

Virtually everyone is happier, and leads healthier, longer and more fulfilling lives, if they are involved with a community of others, at work, in sport, sharing hobbies, volunteer groups, social settings and so on.

There are common requirements in all these forms of involvement:

·         To be considerate and polite in our dealings with all people;

·         To be aware and respectful of differences, without tolerating intolerance or abuse;

There are specific requirements in each of these forms of involvement:

·         As workers, we should do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay;

·         As employers, we should pay fairly, provide decent work conditions, and expect only a fair day’s work;

·         As professionals, doctors, lawyers, carpenters, plumbers, or programmers, whenever we sell our expertise to others who rely on our fair dealings, we must apply professional ethics, which cover our expertise and our fees.  We must be totally honest in the claims we make for our expertise, acknowledging our own ignorance and the unknowns of the profession.  We must deliver the services as efficiently as possible, without over servicing or overcharging;

·         As team members, in gymnastics, golf, football, or whatever, we need to respect the other team members and the opposition, play fair, deliver of our best as members of the team, and be honest about our level of commitment;

·         As members of a hobby group, bush walking, needlework, stationary engines or whatever, we must contribute our fair share, to the extent that we can, to running the group, and support those who generously offer to do more;

·         As members of a voluntary organisation, we need to be conscious of the potential impact we could have, and treat all others with respect.

·         In social settings, it is probably best to conform to the standards of the group, contributing when required, avoiding unnecessary confrontations, without subverting our personal integrity.

Part of our community involvement is maintaining the social and physical environment the communities share. 

·         Maintaining the social environment includes fostering and preserving stable government, complying with the law to the degree possible consistent with one’s conscience.

·         Maintaining the physical environment includes minimising our pollution of the environment, taking action to maximise its sustainability.