Is it unrealistic to reflect on the common good where the reality of our lives is difference, diversity, polarisation, disagreement and conflict? I don’t have to recall the diversity of languages, cultures, nationalities, religious and other world-views with which we engage. I am particularly interested in conflict. These are the more serious problems arising from the incompatibility of policies and purposes. Some want to achieve goals which jeopardize the goals and purposes of others. The opening and development of mines to excavate and extract coal, oil or minerals can threaten the livelihoods and cultures of the people under whose land the natural resources are found. The opening up of infrastructure can benefit peoples, but it can also undermine their indigenous way of life and their relationship with their environment. Roadways give people access to schools and hospitals and other amenities, but they also provide a route for loggers and those who will denude and exploit the natural environment. As we have too often experiences, the attempt to provide security can be counterproductive, stimulating fear and anxiety instead.
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RESPONSE from:
Fr. Juliawan, Fr. Prakosa and Fr. Walpole