The Common Good

“Unless we work for the common good there won't be any” ~ Unknown

"All men were created to busy themselves with labor for the common good. " ~ John Calvin

This is the first of ten articles that I am writing about character building. These articles will be based on a booklet that was published in 1915 named "Character Building". This is the Introduction to the blog posts in the series;

The Science Of Character Building

The booklet believes that working for the common good is an important part of character building. Common good has been defined as whatever is best for society as a whole. This is what the publication says about the common good;

"Man serves himself best by promoting the common
good.

A civilization is necessary for the peace and contentment of
the people.

The better the civilization, the easier it will be for each
and all to be prosperous and happy.

Those who promote the common good are building the temple of
civilization.

And those who do not help to promote the common good, but neglect it or try to pluck it, are tearing out the pillars that support the temple of civilization.

"What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character. " ~ George W. Bush
Inaugural address, January 20, 2001.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." ~ Luke 6:31 NIV

The Science Of Character Building

The dictionary defines "character" as "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing".

I really like Abigail Van Buren's definition of character;
"The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back."

I recently came across a little booket about character building that was written in the early 1900s. I read this material with great interest because the author believed that character building and character teaching is a science.

He defined ten subjects that must be studied to produce the character desired, resulting in a citizenship of such high character that it will solve all the problems of mankind. I will write a series of blog articles about each of these ten subjects and discuss how they have power in character building.

The subjects that I will be addressing are;

1. The common good
2. Habit
3. Prejudice
4. Vanity
5. Selfishness, Covetousness
6. A cheerful disposition
7. Honesty
8. Industry
9. Self-Reliance
10. Home Ownership

I hope you will join me over the next few weeks as we explore these subjects and discuss how they relate to character building.

What does the word "character" mean to you?