Cultivating a shared vision of the common good is a deeply local task. The key to human flourishing is not located beyond the stars (if only we could build ideological spaceships to capture it). Communities thrive when we turn our gaze horizontally toward our neighbors and the world around us, when we believe that contained in every person is an endless galaxy of beliefs and experiences, of joys and sorrows, of fears and comforts.
Before we can love our neighbors, we must desire to know them. We must allow ourselves to be drawn into the vast expanse of their infinity just as they are drawn into ours. This work not only changes what we believe about our neighbors, it also transforms how we relate to them. They are no longer enemies to fight; they are people to love. They are no longer social media handles or digital avatars; they are complex humans who are motivated by their deep values and their felt vulnerabilities.
Seeking the common good through the local practice of neighbor love is messy and complicated work. How do I love my neighbor across the street whose house is adorned with MAGA signs? Does that differ from how I love my neighbor with a multicolored Pride flag? How do I love the barista at the neighborhood coffee shop who consistently provides me with a delicious cortado, the unhoused person who often stands at the highway exit on my route home, the pastor down the road who pours her heart and soul out every Sunday? There is no easy answer to any of these questions.
