Cultivating virtues and relationships: the key to happiness

Professor Luigino Bruni visits the United States
On a beautiful autumn week, New York welcomed Dr. Luigino Bruni, to launch his new book ‘The Wound and the Blessing: Economics, Relationships and Happiness’, and to engage in dynamic discussion with scholars at Marist College and Fordham University. On October 17, a bustling mix of 100 students, faculty and community enthusiasts packed the room at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY to hear Bruni discuss the important tenets of his book.  Among the concepts most spotlighted in his talk were that of ‘relational goods’: the idea of our relationships and community bonds as tangible economic ‘goods’ to be measured and considered, much like we do with the production of goods and services. Hence, shared life experiences are of incredible importance for our happiness, argued Bruni. I was struck by the simplicity yet power of this shift in thinking about the creation and consumption of goods, when if done together, can contribute to a state of ‘being happy’; far more sustainable than ‘feeling’ happy.
The audience seemed taken with Bruni’s emphasis on cultivating one’s inner life and virtues to ensure that the intentions underlying our economic decisions always stem from good motivations.  Namely, what matters to our happiness is that pure intrinsic motivations drive our decisions and actions. Dr. Robert Manning, who joined Bruni as a speaker, seemed to agree. Dr. Manning, a well-acclaimed author and expert on consumer finance, presented a compelling argument that we must remain attentive to nurturing ourselves ‘in relation to the whole of society’. It reminds me of the African philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’: ‘I am because of what or who we are’. The following day, Luigino Bruni joined Dr. Michael Baur and Dr. Russell Pearce of Fordham University to present a topic that had everyone on the edge of their seats: "Why Morality-Free Economic Theory Does Not Work: A Natural Law Perspective in the Wake of the Recent Financial Crisis."  Bruni opened the evening by challenging the audience to question whether or not market and business activity could be defined in a way that’s not self-interested. Bruni believes it can. If virtues are cultivated, mutual benefit can trump self interest in the marketplace. Among those virtues include traits like trust and trustworthiness, independence and self-reliance, responsiveness to others’ preferences, recognition that effort is not always rewarded, and a responsibility for one’s decisions regardless of the outcomes. 
Yet how can we go beyond mutual advantage to foster fraternity in our economy?  We need, Bruni argued, an ‘agape’ kind of love, above and beyond a ‘philia’ kind of love.  I thought about the Economy of Communion (EoC), and the ways that it is helping all involved – entrepreneurs, those in need, enthusiasts and scholars alike – to express their citizenship in relationship with a larger community and set of virtues.  As engaged citizens in a local and global community, EoC stakeholders understand that there is always an ‘indirect reciprocity’ involved in living the project’s values, which relate to the good of society as a whole.  While an EoC business may share profit with someone who shared a need, the local community will almost certainly benefit and grow stronger from this exchange.
Baur, in commenting on Bruni’s remarks, shared his insight that common good often steps from sharing material goods. "Let’s take wine, for example’, stated Bauer, ‘the conversation that two people enjoy over a glass of wine can be highly appreciated by each person even if someone enjoys the wine more than the other."  Pearce, with great affection, spoke of the role of the lawyer in the context of social relationships. “If lawyers understand themselves not as autonomous actors, but as existing in a web of relationships”, stated Pearce, “then ‘relationship-based self-interest’ demands the goal of mutual advantage and reciprocity”.  The evening ended with thoughtful dialogue between the speakers and audience.  As the buzz of conversation eventually faded, everyone seemed to walk away with a new or enhanced understanding of the importance of reciprocity in relationships and a virtue-saturated market.
By Elizabeth Garlow
Elizabeth Garlow serves as president of the North American Association of the Economy of Communion and directs Michigan Corps, a civic-engagement technology platform.
http://www.edc-online.org/en/