We see compassion of equality as a virtue of America, a virtue to strive to live from…not one achieved, but that which we hope to be reachable, guidance for our ways of living and working, reflecting who we are working to become as a people. We have our moments of showing that this is possible among people of our country to begin with this virtue (and by the way, this – we the people – is where to look for it first, not among our leaders… we the people must develop our leaders – of all major institutions of this country). After the hurricanes, in our home community, I saw this virtue manifest. People helping people they did not know; when rescue folks run into burning buildings, this is perhaps the virtue at work; most recently the outpouring of compassion for the victims of the tornados and floods is another example. This compassion of equality does manifest itself readily in moments of crisis. But, it seems, that when we build structures (government, banking, religious, scientific, and on and on), the virtue seems to fall to the background. And so, we find the world of our making is not congruent with the world of intent, the world of essence virtue.
Reflecting on the above, we see that “Work for all children, all children of the world, now and into the future” is a good mantra for we the people, and an audit: “Does this which we are about to do work for all children? …all children of this world …now and into the future?” Certainly a way to help us to remember the “baby in the bathwater,” and to lead us to living from the essential virtue of this country, a virtue which we realize (if we reflect) is the only way to begin our thinking, if there is to be a true and lasting future.
Sandra Maslow Smith, Philosopher of Potential
