The Human Covenant – English

There are things we can learn from Japan.

There are things we can learn from South Korea.

There are things to learn from the Islamic world.

There are things we can learn from Africa.

There are things we can learn from the indigenous people.

Latin America has things we can learn from.

There are things we can learn from Europe.

There are things we can learn from the United States.

No civilization possesses all wisdom.

Wisdom is too vast to be contained by a single civilization.

The spiritual dimension

Throughout history, many have believed that humanity exists within a grander moral order.

Different traditions give this reality different names.

God.

Allah.

A divine being.

Dharma.

God willing.

Conscience.

Natural law.

Moral law.

Regardless of what language we use to call it, it’s worth remembering:

Human strength is not the highest standard for measuring human value.

We can build extraordinary machines.

But we cannot create a person’s soul.

We can measure economic output.

But we can’t simplify love into a spreadsheet.

We can count the number of people.

But numbers cannot measure the value of even one person’s life.

Perhaps this is the essence of great spiritual revelation:

The value of a soul is greater than its usefulness to a system.

Covenant

An alliance is more than just a contract.

The contract asks:

What do you owe me?

The covenant asks:

What do we owe each other?

This distinction is important.

A society cannot forever be based on millions of isolated individuals, where every relationship is negotiated entirely through transactions.

We need trust.

We need families.

We need friendship.

We need communities.

We need service.

We need to take responsibility.

We need people who are willing to help others even if they don’t receive anything in return right now.

The responsibilities we bear for each other

We have a responsibility to be honest with each other.

We all have a responsibility to uphold each other’s dignity.

We each have a responsibility to provide reasonable opportunities for development.

We have a responsibility to protect children.

We have a responsibility to treat the vulnerable with compassion.

We have a responsibility to seek justice for the victims.

We have a responsibility to hold those who make mistakes accountable.

We have a responsibility to protect the world for future generations.

We have a responsibility to participate in community affairs.

We have a responsibility to oversee and review the system.

We have a responsibility to treat our opponents as human beings.

And we also have a responsibility to give ourselves the courage to change.

A country, many people

The United States does not need everyone to become exactly the same.

We can have different religions.

Different political ideologies.

Different cultures.

Different languages.

Different traditions.

Different economic perspectives.

Different visions for the future.

We can still belong to the same civic community.

The goal is not ideological unity.

Rather, it is a unity of dignity.

We should be able to say:

“I have extremely deep disagreements with you.”

But I will still defend your rights as a human being.

This is civilization.

Beyond Tribalism

Political tribes teach us to view our opponents as threats.

Algorithms often reward anger.

Fear generates attention.

Anger breeds participation.

Splits can even become profitable.

But humans are not algorithms.

We can choose different paths.

We can refuse to spread dehumanizing propaganda.

We can verify before we believe.

We can listen before we condemn.

We can criticize, but we don’t have to humiliate.

We may disagree, but we don’t hate each other.

We can apologize.

We can forgive.

We can change our mindset.

These things may seem insignificant.

But they are not small.

These are all civilized behaviors.

Our responsibility

No single website can create a better world on its own.

No single politician could do it alone.

No single religion can do this alone.

No single company can do it alone.

No single technology can do this alone.

This work belongs to all of us.

It starts locally.

Start at home.

It starts with the family.

Start with the neighborhood.

Let’s start in the classroom.

Start with businesses.

Start with religious groups.

Let’s start in the lab.

Start in the workplace.

Start with the community.

Ultimately, if enough people practice it, it will become a culture.

standard

Before we build anything, ask:

Does it enhance human dignity?

Before we endorse something, let’s ask:

If this happened to us, would we accept it?

Before we condemn someone, let’s ask ourselves:

Do we really understand what happened?

Before we demand that others take responsibility, let’s ask ourselves:

Are we willing to take responsibility ourselves?

Before we defend our country, let’s ask ourselves:

Are we willing to tell the truth about this country?

Before we defend our religion, let’s ask ourselves:

Do we truly practice the values ​​we claim to believe in?

Before we celebrate technological advancements, let’s ask:

How will this technology affect humanity?

Before we celebrate our wealth, let’s ask ourselves:

What kind of people and communities is this prosperity creating?

Before we become completely disillusioned with humanity, please remember:

Humans have the ability to change.

Next generation

We will not leave a perfect world for our children.

Perhaps we will never be able to do it.

But we can leave them a better world.

A better system.

Better technology.

Better education.

A better economic system.

A better community.

Better interpersonal relationships.

A better role model.

And perhaps most importantly:

A richer moral imagination.

We can teach them:

Strength does not require cruelty.

Compassion does not mean weakness.

There’s no need for hatred if opinions don’t align.

Faith does not need to be forced.

Patriotism does not require supremacy.

Prosperity does not require exploitation.

Justice does not require revenge.

Peace does not require surrender.

The final promise

Let us become people who can have power, but do not worship it.

Let us become people who can disagree but do not dehumanize each other.

Let us become people who can prosper but do not forget the poor.

Let us become people who can protect ourselves without becoming the kind of people we oppose.

Let us become people who can examine our own history without hating ourselves for it.

Let us become people who can learn from other civilizations without abandoning our own identity.

Let us become such people:

Protect children.

Serving the neighborhood.

Seeking the truth.

Practice kindness.

Take responsibility.

forgive.

Construction.

repair.

teach.

study.

And to leave a better world for those who come after.

Perhaps this is the kind of alliance worth making.

A covenant of imperfect people.

An alliance is not a pact among people who always agree.

It is a covenant among a group of people who recognize that something is more important than the differences between them:

We belong to each other.

If this is true, then the future is not something that only happens to us.

The future is something we build together.

one person.

A family.

A neighbor.

A community.

A country.

A generation.

A human family.

One world.

And yet another opportunity to make tomorrow better than today.