The common good and other mythology

Here's one response to the last article that went to my email, from Jim G. civilfeedback@gmail.com. I haven't responded yet, and probably won't besides here. It's obvious from what he writes that he's never studied any actual communitarian programs nor has he any education in EU and global communitarian law. He also stoops to assuming he knows my definition of real community, and it's pretty funny that he thinks I don't care about the homeless people in Anchorage and around the world. This is fairly representative of the best arguments communitarians can make against my thesis... they all follow the same routine. Communitarians ignore my published thesis and simply attack me for being unenlightened, wrong, and in case that doesn't convince me, some throw in a personal attack against my lifestyle, this one says I sound "egocentric."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the word "communitarian" is not anywhere in the US Constitution and the only people who EVER call the US Constitution a communitarian contract are communitarians. The exact words are "provide for the common defense and general welfare"... it says nothing about the phony communitarian phrase "the common good." US law is in direct opposition to communitarian law... so how can the US Constitution be communitarian?

If there is such a thing as the "collective unconsious" it is surely negative, since that is what's being called upon to help evil communitarians enslave the people of the world. My lifelong experience with people is they are not all basically good (and on this point I agree with the Christians that we are all born sinners). In my opinion it is always the ones who claim loudest to be good who turn out to be the most evil people.

But, really, the best part of this letter is his accusing a homeless person who's gone homeless for years in order to research and publish exposes about communitarianism of not caring about the homeless! Yeah, okay, I've never done one thing to help the homeless or anybody else, ever.

Why do you keep distorting the definition of “Communitarianism” and demonizing the term?

Communitarianism is nothing more, and very simply, a balance between individual freedom and social responsibility for the common good.

In Buddhism it would be the “Golden Mean” or comparable to the Yin Yang philosophy in China. In
Christianity, it defines a Christian community – Christian Communitarianism - as Christians who have a
brotherly commitment to one another, who share their lives, and who live interdependently as
members of a body.

Communitarianism is not communism.

You seem like an intelligent person, and I would hate to think that you are a person that takes a good word and makes it evil.

What do you mean by “real community?” Is the “real community” your home and your immediate neighbors, your town, your state, your country or just the “online” kind like My Space, Facebook or LinkedIn? Does your real community care about the homeless in Anchorage, Los Angeles, New York or Bangladesh? Or the sick in Chicago, New Orleans or Calcutta? It sounds to me that your “real community” is the egocentric “me” kind.

Maybe you should read Carl Jung. You may want to read “Carl G. Jung: Archetype of the collective unconscious” (http://www.helium.com/items/221986-carl-g-jung-archetypes-of-the-collective-unconscious) The collective unconscious according to Jung is an inborn instinct which all of humanity shares. "Personal unconscious rests upon a deeper layer, which does not derive from personal experience and is not a personal acquisition but is inborn. I call this the collective unconscious. I have chosen the term "collective" because this part of the unconscious is not individual but universal; in contrast to the personal psyche, it has contents and modes of behavior that are more or less the same everywhere and in all individuals. It is, in other words, identical in all men and thus constitutes a common psychic substrate of a suprapersonal nature which is present in every one of us." Jung.

The point is that we are all connected and related. Yes, a human family, a community as a whole.

In conclusion, your perception of “Communitarianism” is incorrect. So, please don’t demonize efforts meant for the “common good” as stated in our Constitution.

Sorry, that this was so long.

Regards,

Here's a perfect example of communitarian's working both sides for the "common good:"
World Socialist's report on AIG bonuses
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/aig-a20.shtml

Looked up American homelessness and found this. Right on Clyde! http://www.homelessamerican.com/

City Mayor's website on homelessness and hunger in the US:
http://www.citymayors.com/features/uscity_poverty.html