
Festival patron – Hugh Mackay
Hugh Mackay is a social researcher and the author of fourteen books – nine in the field of social psychology and ethics, and five novels. His book The Good Life, came out in May 2013, just prior to the 2013 Goodness Festival. Although he cannot be at the Festival in 2014, he’s a supporter of the Festival and has shared his thoughts on Goodness:
“The deepest truth about humans is that we are social creatures who are cooperative and altruistic by nature (though we can sometimes be competitive and ruthlessly self-interested, as well). We rely on communities to sustain and nurture us – to bring out the best in us – and those communities rely on us, in turn, to sustain and nurture them. That’s the beautiful symmetry of a strong community!
But communities don’t just happen, and they don’t always survive. We nurture them by engaging with them; by becoming involved; by treating others the way we would like to be treated – taking them seriously, respecting them, acknowledging their needs.
That’s what lies at the the heart of the idea of goodness. The good life is defined by our capacity for selflessness, by the quality of our personal relationships and by our willingness to respond to the needs of others.”
Geraldton’s Goodness Festival is both a celebration and an encouragement to all of us to embrace that simple ideal.”
Watch more about Hugh’s book, The Good Life, which was release around the same time as Goodness Festival 2013
- On July 21, 2014
- 0 Comments