The Community of Man has the best values, but unfortunately not the best tunes.
The Community of Man exists. It has existed for as long as man has been a social animal. Without the Community of Man, no moral judgements are
possible. This is the frame of reference that exists implicitly in any discussion that has a moral dimension. The fact that man has not always
made good choices, as shown by our history, does not make this any less true.
Other belief systems may be able to attract more attention through the use of rites, ceremonies, and
myth-making around personalities, but they are all derivatives of the values that only the Community of Man can sanction.
In recent times, belief systems that favor the salvation of the individual over that of society have evolved hand-in-hand with economic models
that only consider the individual and his interests.
It may well be that this paradigm has run its course. Eventually, people will reassert the primacy of society over the individual by looking
once again to the Community of Man for an alternative value system, more representative of their interests and concerns in today's world.
Ever since modern man came of age, arguably in the Free Love movement of the sixties, he has been re-assessing every aspect of his existence,
mostly in frustration at not being able to exert more control. Political correctness is one example of this, but many others can also be
cited,
such as probity in public life and better business standards. We have even got around to confronting dinosaurs, thanks to Spielberg's 1993
Jurassic
Park. Instead of grouping all dinosaurs together as being terrifying monsters, we now know which are really dangerous and why, and which
are vegetarian and peace-loving.
Is it not now time to stand up for the Community of Man as an explicit moral reference system? We have never been in better shape to
avoid the mistakes of the past!
