-
The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness,
and boredom account for the bulk of suffering in a human
community.
-
Life in a truly human community revolves around
close and continuing contact with children, plants, and
animals. These ancient relationships provide young and old
alike with a pathway to a life worth living.
-
Loving companionship is the antidote to
loneliness. In a human community, we must provide easy access
to human and animal companionship.
-
To give care to another makes us stronger. To
receive care gracefully is a pleasure and an art. A healthy
human community promotes both of these virtues in its daily
life, seeking always to balance one with the other.
-
Trust in each other allows us the pleasure of
answering the needs of the moment. When we fill our lives with
variety and spontaneity, we honor the world and our place in
it.
-
Meaning is the food and water that nourishes
the human spirit. It strengthens us. The counterfeits of
meaning tempt us with hollow promises. In the end, they always
leave us empty and alone.
-
Medical treatment should be the servant of
genuine human caring, never its master.
-
In a human community, the wisdom of the elders
grows in direct proportion to the honour and respect accorded
to them.
-
Human growth must never be separated from human
life.
-
Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any
struggle against the three plagues. For it, there can be no
substitute.
