The Common Purpose

Fulfilment

The Common Principle

No Harm

Fulfilment is through realising our potential, whatever that potential is. We find our potential by trying things, and selecting, for our greatest efforts, those we are good at. However, this realisation of potential must accord with the principle of no harm.

From the common purpose and principle of no harm comes the right way of doing things and from this way, human rights. The right way of doing things complies with the principle, the wrong way does not.

Our culture is a mix of the right and wrong ways, but until the right way is predominant, with the principle heeded, realisation of potential will be poor and our fulfilment diminished.

Conversely, when the right way is the only way, and the principle always heeded, then our purpose is universal and our greatest fulfilment enabled.

To assess whether a situation is right or wrong return to the principle: fulfilment without harm to or from others. If a situation harms others it is wrong and we need to remedy it.

The Right Way

The right way is to realise our potential and find fulfilment without harming others fulfilment.

Fulfilment and the realisation of potential comes from making our best contribution, from being ourselves and realising ourselves in our ideas and our product. This realisation is growth, is life.

We who pursue the right way of fulfilment without harm are characteristically persuasive, tolerant, responsible, free and fair, because these attributes facilitate fulfilment without harm.

Pursuit of the right way breeds flexibility and the strength to see others points of view and attain win-win scenarios. Understanding the unlimited nature of our potential leads us who pursue fulfilment to see the world as an open game in which we act independently but without harm so we all grow.

The pursuit of fulfilment without harm leads to free and fair markets, a shared base income, and democratic organisations operating in accordance with the purpose of fulfilment and the principle of no harm.

The Wrong Way

The wrong way is to harm in the pursuit of power and money.

Pursued power and money comes from exploitation and harm, from accumulating excess resources and expropriating the ideas and labour of others. This pursuit comes with great cost in wasted lives and damaged environments.

We who pursue the wrong way of power and money with harm are characteristically coercive, intolerant, demanding, restrictive, biased, bullying, controlling and manipulative, because these attributes facilitate the pursuit of power and money.

We who pursue power and money celebrate being hard and tough, firm and strong – attributes we equate with inflexibility and aggression. These attributes lead to conflict and win-lose scenarios, scenarios we seek to create. Understanding the world as one of only limited resources leads us who pursue power and money to see life as a game with only winners and losers.

The pursuit of money and power with harm leads to unfair markets, massive wealth disparities, and monopolistic, non-democratic organisations pursuing power and money, ignorant of our fulfilment and causing harm.

...

[Excerpt from The Common Purpose Manifesto]

...