“The Gross National Product swells with the destruction of the Redwoods and includes security locks for our homes and jails for the people who break them. It includes napalm and nuclear warheads and cigarette advertising [...] But the Gross National Product does not reveal the joy of our children at play nor the happiness of our marriages. It cannot measure the wisdom of our public debate nor the integrity of our public officials. It does not measure our concern for each other nor our commitment to justice.”
Our Quote of the Week spotlights aspects of our well-being that cannot be measured quantitatively: our integrity, our wisdom, our joy, and importantly, our ability to care for one another and to pursue justice.
Speaking at an event for the Democratic Party of Oklahoma, Sargent Shriver began his remarks by noting the federal infrastructure projects that were underway at the time. But from there he shifted to talk about something larger:
“Our job will never be finished. It will not be easy. But just as men dreamed of building a canal - or a road - or a hospital - we must dare to dream and we must be ready to work - for an America where justice is not a stranger and where compassion is our constant companion.”
In this context, Shriver invites the audience to consider that the value of a society cannot be measured only in economic terms. Then, acknowledging the injustices and struggles throughout the nation’s history, and the disillusionment people have experienced in institutions, including government, he calls on the audience to work towards a society whose primary goal is to pursue justice:
“We must look through the eyes of others and see America as it is and America as it can be. And we must continue to reach for a government of justice. A government of justice does not mean endless giveaways -- but it does mean giving all of us the right to earn and keep a fair share, and none of us the chance to avoid a fair share of the costs of our society.”
Sargent Shriver’s words continue to resonate today. May we work towards a society that is known for its ability to nurture what is most valuable to its citizens: stability, joy, wisdom, integrity, and underpinning it all, a sense of justice for all.
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