The Courage to Seek The Common Good
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Law is an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by one who has care of the community.” — Thomas Aquinas
In the thirteenth century, the theologian Thomas Aquinas wrestled with a simple but profound question:
What is a society for?
His answer was clear. Not power. Not wealth. Not the protection of a privileged few. The purpose of society, he argued, is the common good.
For Aquinas, the common good was not simply the sum of individual interests. It was something deeper, something shared. A society flourishes when its laws, institutions, and leaders are oriented toward the well-being of the whole community.
The common good is present when children are safe, when neighbors trust one another, when the poor are not abandoned, when the powerful understand that their authority is a form of service.
Aquinas believed that political authority is legitimate only when it serves this shared flourishing. When rulers pursue their own advantage instead of the good of the community, society begins to decay.
In other words, the health of a society can be measured by a single question:
Are we organizing our life together so that everyone can flourish?
By that measure, many of the systems shaping our world today appear deeply disordered.
We are living in a time when the idea of the common good is being tested in very real ways. Around the world, governments now spend more than $2.7 trillion each year on militaries, while many communities struggle to fund public schools, mental health services, and basic healthcare. In the United States, political leaders win support by portraying immigrants, LGBTQ neighbors, or people of different faiths as threats rather than members of a shared society. Corporations continue extracting oil, gas, and minerals at a pace scientists warn will accelerate climate disruption, even as entire communities, from coastal towns to farming regions, face the rising costs of drought, wildfire, and flooding. In many places, policies are being written that treat some lives as expendable in the name of economic growth, national security, or ideological purity.
This raises the question Aquinas believed every society must answer sooner or later:
Who is our life together actually serving?
A society that abandons the common good eventually begins to unravel. Trust erodes. Institutions weaken. People retreat into private survival rather than shared responsibility.
But Aquinas also believed something hopeful.
Human beings are not merely self-interested creatures. We are, by nature, communal beings. We are wired for cooperation, compassion, and shared purpose.
The common good is not an abstract ideal imposed from above.
It is something we build together every day, in how we treat our neighbors, how we organize our communities, and how we resist systems that benefit a few while harming many.
In this sense, the pursuit of the common good is not the responsibility of governments alone. It is the work of citizens. Of communities. Of people of faith who remember that love of neighbor is not merely a private virtue but a public calling.
In a time when many institutions appear fragile and the future feels uncertain, the question Aquinas asked centuries ago returns with renewed urgency:
What would it mean for us to rebuild our life together around the common good?
The answer may begin closer than we think.
It begins wherever people refuse to accept that selfishness is the only way the world works.
It begins wherever communities choose cooperation over competition, compassion over indifference, and courage over fear.
And it begins whenever we remember that the flourishing of one life is bound to the flourishing of all.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you see the common good being protected and nurtured in your community right now?
Where do you see systems prioritizing private gain over the well-being of the whole?
What is one way you might contribute to the common good in your own relationships, work, or community this week?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for the Common Good
God of all life, You created us not as isolated individuals but as members of one human family. Awaken in us a deeper commitment to the well-being of the whole. Give us courage to resist systems that diminish human dignity. Teach us to build communities where compassion is stronger than fear and justice stronger than greed. May our lives contribute to a world where every person has the opportunity to flourish. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Practice the Common Good Today
Choose one concrete action that strengthens the well-being of the community around you.
It may be something small:
Checking in on a neighbor who seems isolated
Supporting a local organization working for justice
Offering encouragement to someone who is struggling
Participating in civic life with honesty and care
The common good does not emerge only from grand policies or sweeping reforms. It grows through thousands of quiet acts of responsibility and love. Today, practice one of them.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
March 23, 31 and April 7, 2026, 7-8:30pm ET - Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox and I will be hosting another 4-part series on “Visions for the Common Good.” This series will include sessions with David Abram (cultural ecologist), Lynne Twist (global activist), Randy Woodley (Cherokee scholar and wisdom-keeper), and yours truly! All sessions are recorded, and you will get the link if you can’t make it. Learn more here.
March 26, 2026, 7–8:30pm ET – FREE WEBINAR - I’ll be joined by Ruth Dearnley, OBE, Founder and President of Stop the Traffik (London), for “Stop the Exploitation of Children: Disrupting Human Trafficking at Its Source.” As Board Chair of Stop the Traffik USA, this work is deeply personal to me. We cannot rescue our way out of trafficking; we must prevent exploitation by disrupting the systems and financial flows that profit from vulnerability—and congregations can play a powerful role in building community resilience. Ruth will share how technology and data are exposing trafficking networks globally, and how congregations can lead local awareness and prevention campaigns that reduce vulnerability and protect children. I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and register here.
March 28, 2026 - No Kings Protest! We are marching again. Mark your calendars and find the nearest protest site. Make your protest signs. Knit your red hats. Get your water bottles and sunscreen ready. We head back into the streets for peaceful protest on behalf of a more just world. I'll see you out there. Register here.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
Each spring, Jewish clergy, musicians, and community leaders gather at Hava Nashira, a long-running conference devoted to the sacred practice of communal singing in Jewish life. Participants learn how music, chant, and shared prayer can deepen spiritual life and strengthen community by helping whole communities lift their voices together. I love that this exists in the world, and that my friend, Cantor Rosalie Will, helps lead it. If your path is in the Jewish tradition, check it out.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace filed a shareholder resolution with Palantir asking the company to publish a human rights impact assessment. Palantir is the AI software behind ICE, predictive policing, algorithm-determined drone killings, merging of private health data, and more. The sisters released a video explaining why they filed the proposal. They are now reaching out to Faith Leaders and asking them to sign the petition in support. The signatures need to be collected by/before March 23.
I have just discovered the coolest group! The All We Can Save Project grew out of the powerful climate anthology All We Can Save and has become a growing network of people committed to climate courage and community leadership. Their work reminds us that responding to the climate crisis isn’t only about policy or technology; it’s also about cultivating the relationships, imagination, and moral courage needed to protect and restore the living world. Check them out here: https://www.allwecansave.earth/
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.