Leaving the world a better place

Last updated

Leaving the world a better place, often called the campground rule, or just leaving things better than you found them, is an ethical proposition that individuals should go beyond trying not to do harm in the world, and should try to remediate harms done by others.

Contents

History and application

This ethic was articulated by Bessie Anderson Stanley in 1911 (in a quote often misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson): "To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." [1] In his last message to the Boy Scouts, founder Robert Baden-Powell wrote: "Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best". [2] American writer William Gaddis, in his 1985 novel, Carpenter's Gothic , disputed the wisdom of this ethic, writing: "Finally realize you can't leave things better than you found them the best you can do is try not to leave them any worse . . ." [3]

Dan Savage, in his syndicated sex-advice column, Savage Love has articulated a variation of the rule for relationships, which he calls the "campsite rule", stating that in any relationship, but particularly those with a large difference of age or experience between the partners, the older or more experienced partner has the responsibility to leave the younger or less experienced partner in at least as good a state (emotionally and physically) as before the relationship. The "campsite rule" includes things like leaving the younger or less experienced partner with no STDs, no unwanted pregnancies, and not overburdening them with emotional and sexual baggage. [4] In 2013, humorist Alexandra Petri premiered a sex comedy play, The Campsite Rule, based on Savage's rule. [5] [6] [7] Savage also created a companion rule, the "tea and sympathy rule" in reference to a line in the play, Tea and Sympathy , in which an older woman asks of a high-school-age boy, right before having sex with him: "Years from now, when you talk about this – and you will – be kind". [8] The companion rule imposes on the younger person in the relationship the requirement to be kind to an older partner who followed the "campsite rule".

In 2015, a crowdsourcing competition to rethink the Ten Commandments called the Rethink Prize included "Leave the world a better place than you found it" as one of the ten winning beliefs selected by a panel of judges. [9] [10] Augustana College bioethicist Deke Gould invoked the "campground rule" in a 2021 article advocating "efforts to design future minds—whether these are full artificial, enhanced biological, or postbiological ones—should aim to produce minds that are not relevantly human‐like". [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Rule</span> Principle of treating others as one wants to be treated

The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that you should reciprocate to others how you would like them to treat you. Various expressions of this rule can be found in the tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex Pistols</span> English punk rock band

The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became one of the most culturally influential acts in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspired many later punk, post-punk and alternative rock musicians, while their clothing and hairstyles were a significant influence on the early punk image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreplay</span> Intimate acts that create sexual arousal

Foreplay is a set of emotionally and physically intimate acts between one or more people meant to create sexual arousal and desire for sexual activity. Although foreplay is typically understood as physical sexual activity, nonphysical activities, such as mental or verbal acts, may in some contexts be foreplay. This is typically the reason why foreplay tends to be an ambiguous term and means different things to different people. It can consist of various sexual practices such as kissing, sexual touching, removing clothes, oral sex, manual sex, sexual games, and role playing.

Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual relationships. Consent as understood in specific contexts may differ from its everyday meaning. For example, a person with a mental disorder, a low mental age, or under the legal age of sexual consent may willingly engage in a sexual act that still fails to meet the legal threshold for consent as defined by applicable law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage Love</span> Sex-advice column by Dan Savage

Savage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage. The column appears weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free newspapers in the US and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia. It started in 1991 with the first issue of the Seattle weekly newspaper The Stranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leave No Trace</span> Set of outdoor ethics

Leave No Trace, sometimes written as LNT, is a set of ethics promoting conservation of the outdoors. Originating in the mid-20th century, the concept started as a movement in the United States in response to ecological damage caused by wilderness recreation. In 1994, the non-profit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics was formed to create educational resources around LNT, and organized the framework of LNT into seven principles.

  1. Plan ahead and prepare
  2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces
  3. Dispose of waste properly
  4. Leave what you find
  5. Minimize campfire impacts
  6. Respect wildlife
  7. Be considerate of other visitors

Psychological abuse, often known as emotional abuse or psychological violence, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder amongst other psychological problems.

The Great Commandment is a name used in the New Testament to describe the first of two commandments cited by Jesus in Matthew 22:35–40, Mark 12:28–34, and in answer to him in Luke 10:27a:

... and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He [Jesus] said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

<i>Savage Nights</i> 1992 French film

Savage Nights is a 1992 French drama film directed and written by Cyril Collard. It stars Collard, Romane Bohringer, and Carlos López. The film is an adaptation of Collard's semi-autobiographical novel Les Nuits fauves, published in 1989. It won four César Awards, including Best Film.

Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the category of courtship, consisting of social events carried out by the couple either alone or with others.

<i>The Mighty B!</i> Nickelodeon TV show starring Amy Poehler

The Mighty B! is an American animated television series created by former SNL cast member Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girl scout who believes she will become The Mighty B if she collects every Honeybee badge. Bessie lives in San Francisco with her single mother Hilary, brother Ben and dog Happy. Poehler provides the voice of Bessie, who is loosely based on the character Cassie McMadison, who Poehler played on the improvisational comedy troupes Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City before she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.

Several alternatives to the Ten Commandments have been promulgated by different persons and groups, which intended to improve on the lists of laws known as the Ten Commandments that appear in the Bible. Lists of these kinds exist in many different cultures and times. They are sometimes given names – for example, the Hindu Yamas.

<i>Hollywood Wives</i> (miniseries) 1985 American television miniseries

Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives is an American television miniseries based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Jackie Collins. Airing on ABC in February 1985, it follows several women connected to the entertainment industry in Hollywood and capitalized on the public's taste for opulent melodramas that dominated television ratings in the 1980s. The three-part, four-and-a-half-hour production was produced by Aaron Spelling, whose series Dynasty was number one in the ratings at the time. Like Dynasty, costume design was by Nolan Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thou shalt not commit adultery</span> One of the Ten Commandments

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" is found in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible. It is considered the sixth commandment by Roman Catholic and Lutheran authorities, but the seventh by Jewish and most Protestant authorities. What constitutes adultery is not plainly defined in this passage of the Bible, and has been the subject of debate within Judaism and Christianity. The word fornication means illicit sex, prostitution, idolatry and lawlessness.

A meet market is a location or activity in which people are viewed as commodities, or a business like a nightclub where people typically look for a casual sex partner. The term is also used metaphorically, for example, to refer to the process of deciding which man to "buy" for a husband, or for finding a man to date at the grocery market.

James Cook (<i>Skins</i>) Fictional character from Skins

James Cook, known as Cook, to his friends, is a fictional character in the British teen drama Skins. He is portrayed by Jack O'Connell. In the third series, his true emotions are explored and it is revealed that his womanizing violent lifestyle is in fact a smoke screen to cover up his real emotions. His actions often cause trouble and create havoc, affecting those around him. However, in the fourth series, he begins to change his ways after a conversation with his solicitor and when he begins to realize the consequences of his actions, most notably witnessing his younger brother beginning to follow in his footsteps. His life is then taken in a wholly other direction when he investigates the disappearance of his best friend in series four's final episodes.

Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors that interfere with decision-making related to reproductive health. These behaviors are meant to maintain power and control related to reproductive health by a current, former, or hopeful intimate or romantic partner, but they can also be perpetrated by parents or in-laws. Coercive behaviors infringe on individuals' reproductive rights and reduce their reproductive autonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual violence in Finland</span> Overview of sexual violence in Finland

Sexual violence means that someone forces or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity without their consent. Such violence can take place in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships, as well as outside intimate relationships. All sexual offenses violate the basic right of sexual self-determination. In Finland, sexual violence and taking advantage of a person is always a crime, even if the assaulter was the victim's spouse, relative or their friend. Sexual offences include but are not limited to rape, forcing someone into a sexual act and taking sexual advantage of a person. The victims of sexual violence are predominantly women, but 26 percent of Finnish men have experienced sexual harassment since their 15th birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in same-sex relationships</span>

Domestic violence in same-sex relationships or intragender violence is a pattern of violence or abuse that occurs within same-sex relationships. Domestic violence is an issue that affects people of any sexuality, but there are issues that affect victims of same-sex domestic violence specifically. These issues include homophobia, internalized homophobia, HIV and AIDS stigma, STD risk and other health issues, lack of legal support, and the violence they face being considered less serious than heterosexual domestic violence. Moreover, the issue of domestic violence in same-sex relationships has not been studied as comprehensively as domestic violence in heterosexual relationships. However, there are legal changes being made to help victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships, as well as organizations that cater specifically to victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships.

Christine Emba is an opinion columnist and author based in Washington DC.

References

  1. ↑ Bessie Anderson Stanley, "What is Success?", Heart Throbs Volume Two (Chapple Publishing Company, Boston, 1911) edited by Joseph Mitchell Chapple, pp. ii, 1-2.
  2. ↑ Baden-Powell, Sir Robert. "B-P's final letter to the Scouts". Girl Guiding UK. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  3. ↑ William Gaddis, Carpenter's Gothic (Viking Press, 1985), p. 230.
  4. ↑ Q, Dan (May 14, 2008). "Savage Love Readers Talk About the Campsite Rule". Scatmania. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ "The making of Petri's 'Campsite Rule'". The Washington Post. October 22, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ Treanor, Tim (July 29, 2014). "The Campsite Rule" . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ Jeff. "Alexandra Petri's The Campsite Rule" . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  8. ↑ Deborah Kerr, Actress Known for Genteel Grace and a Sexy Beach Kiss, Dies at 86 – The New York Times
  9. ↑ Daniel Burke (December 20, 2014). "Behold, atheists' new Ten Commandments". CNN. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ "The Rethink Prize" . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ Deke C. Gould (2021). "Future minds and a new challenge to anti-natalism". Bioethics. 35 (8): 793–800. doi:10.1111/bioe.12873.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.