Above all nations is humanity

“Above all nations is humanity” is a thought associated with the British historian, political thinker and humanist Goldwin Smith (1823–1910), whose life and work were closely connected with Cornell University. Although his legacy is complex, this idea is remembered as a powerful expression of human solidarity beyond national borders. The words are carved into a stone bench in front of Goldwin Smith Hall on Cornell’s campus in the United States. The bench was given to the university by Smith in 1871, while the hall, named in his honour, was dedicated in 1906.

Its meaning is clear and timeless: above the interests of nations, states, and ideologies must stand humanity as the community of all people. It is a simple yet radical statement, emphasising that compassion, justice and responsibility towards all people must not be limited by national borders, but should form the foundation of our thinking and action.

In an age of increasingly self-centred international relations, the idea that humanity stands above all nations is crucial. Today, power and force often replace treaties, agreements and ethical principles. Although the United Nations, founded in 1945, set humanity on a course of cooperation and shared responsibility, these essential values are increasingly under threat.

The United Nations was created from the hard lessons of two world wars, which showed how national power, selfishness and the sense of superiority can lead to conflict and destruction. Today, policies that emphasise national greatness and exceptionalism risk repeating these mistakes. No nation rises above another. What matters most is our shared humanity.

Every person counts. Each is equal to every other. Everyone has the right to health, well-being, peace, justice and a healthy environment.

Today, the rise of selfishness, greed and violence threatens our common future.

Cooperation, sharing, and respect for every human being are essential for our common future, for above all nations stands humanity. We are human beings first, before we are members of any nation, state, religion, ethnic background, political group or other belief.

Sources: Nad vsemi narodi je človeštvo, Cornell Ezra Magazine, Cornell University Library Digital Collections.

Economy Is About People

When we speak about the economy, it often seems as if it is only about numbers: economic growth, inflation, income, taxes, and so on. Yet we should remember that the purpose of the economy is not numbers, indicators or growth in themselves. Its purpose is human life: people’s ability to survive and to live well.

The same is true of money. Money is not an end in itself. In essence, it represents what we can buy with it. First and foremost, this means the basic goods that enable us to survive and to live a decent life. Today, however, money is increasingly used to make even more money, especially through speculation. A large part of financial flows is therefore caught up in speculation, which mainly serves to enrich a small minority.

Economists, businesspeople and many others often say that there is no room in the economy for emotions such as compassion and love. Business, they argue, should be a matter of reason, free from unnecessary emotion. But is that really true? In reality, positive qualities such as compassion, altruism, goodwill and love are often neglected or denied in economic life, while negative forces such as greed, selfishness and envy often play a major role.

This is sometimes called “business as usual”, regardless of the human or social consequences. Yet with every economic decision, from those made by governments to those made by small companies, we should ask ourselves: what does this bring to people, to society as a whole, and to the environment? Does it bring good or harm?

This is the foundation of all human conduct. We face such questions constantly. Whether we do good or harm is always our choice, and we know our actions have consequences, whether good or bad. Why, then, do we not take this seriously when it comes to the economy?

If we produce guns, they will most likely be used. If we speculate with money, there will be a shortage of it somewhere else. If we hoard goods, they will be in short supply elsewhere. Economic decisions, whether personal, corporate or national, always have real consequences. Sometimes these consequences are very severe.

According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025, between 638 and 720 million people faced hunger in 2024, representing 7.8 to 8.8 per cent of the world’s population. In addition, about 2.3 billion people, or 28 per cent of the world’s population, were moderately or severely food insecure.

These are real consequences of the economic decisions made by the most developed countries and large corporations. Indirectly, they are also connected with all of us who support or maintain such an unjust system, perhaps as consumers, employees or voters.

The economy, then, is not merely a game of numbers, money and “cold” business decisions. It is always about people, their survival and well-being, and the well-being of the planet as a whole. That is why the sharing economy offers a path towards the well-being of all, and with it, towards peace and the preservation of the environment.

 

Source: FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025.

Maitreya’s Priorities: Sharing as the Path to Justice and Peace

According to Share International, Maitreya’s priorities are focused on the essential needs of every human being: adequate food, housing for all, healthcare and education as universal rights, the restoration of the environment and the establishment of peace. At the heart of these priorities is a simple but far-reaching principle: a more equitable sharing of the world’s food, resources and technology. Share International summarises this message in the words attributed to Maitreya: “Without sharing there can be no justice; without justice there can be no peace; without peace there can be no future.”

This message is especially urgent today. Humanity faces a deep divide between those who have more than enough and those who lack even the basic necessities of life. Recent global data show that around 700 million people faced hunger in 2024. At the same time, billions lack access to safe water, sanitation, or adequate housing, and about 250 million children and young people remain out of school.

Share International presents this global inequality not only as a moral failure, but also as a danger to peace, social stability and the environment. A world based on competition, excessive consumption, and the blind pursuit of market forces cannot create balance or justice for all. Instead, it deepens social division, environmental destruction and insecurity.

The proposed answer is the principle of sharing. Sharing is not presented merely as charity, but as a new basis for economic life and international relations. It means recognising humanity as one family and accepting that the world’s resources should be used to meet the needs of all people, not only the interests of a privileged few.

According to Share International, Maitreya will call for a reordering of global economic priorities so that food, housing, healthcare and education become universal rights. This would also include protecting and healing the environment, and building economic systems based on sustainability and sufficiency rather than overproduction and waste.

Ultimately, Maitreya’s priorities place humanity before profit, cooperation before competition, and responsibility before indifference. The choice, as presented by Share International, is between continuing on a path of division and destruction, or accepting sharing as the foundation of a just, peaceful and sustainable civilisation.

Source: Share International, “Maitreya’s priorities.”

The Economy and Its Fundamental Task

The economy is a social field whose fundamental task is to create the conditions for meeting the basic needs of every individual and for the well-being of humanity, including care for the environment.

Just as politics is concerned with leading and organising society into a functioning whole, the economy is concerned with its material side. It creates the material conditions of life for individuals and society as a whole.

That is why politics and the economy are so important and closely connected. The life of each of us is strongly shaped by the way they function.

In a narrower sense, political and economic systems directly shape these two fields. They determine their institutions and political and economic relations.

Today’s economic system, supported by politics, creates great inequality: on the one hand, widespread poverty and hunger, and on the other, immense wealth for a small part of humanity. This inequality is one of the root causes of the world’s greatest problems: social conflicts, wars, migration, the climate crisis and more.

Political and economic systems are built by people. They therefore change in line with our values and beliefs. Of course, more powerful actors have greater influence, but it is still people who shape, accept and maintain a particular political and economic system.

This means that we can also change these systems, which is good news. The first change needed is a shift in the economic system, since it causes many of the world’s greatest problems and crises.

The economy must not be separated from human values such as compassion, care for others, solidarity, respect and, ultimately, love. We cannot simply separate it from life and say that it is merely business as usual.

We cannot be caring parents, loving partners, good friends and considerate neighbours, and then, in companies and corporations, destroy the environment, exploit people in poorer countries and undermine their economic systems through financial instruments. These things simply do not belong together.

The way we behave towards those closest to us should also guide our behaviour towards all other people, in politics, companies and other institutions. The economy should express the best in human beings, not the worst: selfishness, greed, competitiveness and hatred.

Therefore, the fundamental task of the economy can only be fulfilled through compassion, solidarity, respect for others and the capacity to express love. In practice, especially in the economic sphere, these human qualities are expressed as the sharing economy.

Maitreya: A Message for a World in Crisis

Amid widespread political, economic and social crisis, many people are seeking a new direction. Share International presents Maitreya as a response to this search, describing him as a central figure expected by several major religions under different names. 

Maitreya is not presented as the founder of a new religion, but as a teacher and guide for all people. His message, intended for everyone, calls on humanity to recognise itself as one family and to create a civilisation based on sharing, justice and global cooperation.

This message speaks directly to today’s persistent inequalities. Share International summarises Maitreya’s priorities as ensuring universal access to food, water, housing, healthcare and education, as well as the restoration of the environment.

Sharing is the central principle, not merely as charity, but as a foundation for organising human life, economics and international relations. A more just and equitable distribution of resources and technology could help humanity move towards peace, trust and balance. According to Share International, Maitreya’s role is to inspire humanity to take these steps and to create a more just and sane world for all.

Maitreya’s message is clear: humanity’s future depends on cooperation, sharing and meeting the needs of all people. It is not only a call to belief, but also a call to responsibility: to ensure that no one is deprived of life’s basic necessities and to recognise that the health of the planet and the well-being of humanity are inseparable.

Source: Share International, “Maitreya the World Teacher”

Commercialisation

Commercialisation, which encourages competitiveness, self-interest, greed, and complacency, dominates modern economic and social thinking. It contributes significantly to widening social disparities and deepening economic inequality.

To understand the prevailing meaning of today’s global economy, it is essential to explore the phenomenon of commercialisation—a mindset shaped by the growing influence of market forces. Commercialization creates both external and internal conflicts—war, as discussed by Mohammed Sofiane Mesbahi in his publication, Commercialization: The Antithesis of Sharing:

"In truth, commercialisation is nothing less than a silent war, a war against humanity’s growth and evolution. This statement cannot be emphasised strongly enough: commercialisation is a war. Not just a war between different sides, between competing nations or rival tribes, but a war in itself. It is a war that is being waged within every household, community and nation because commercialisation is so devious, so intelligent, that it precisely knows the weaknesses of humanity. It knows our emotional nature intimately well because this is where it resides, and from where it manipulates us.”[1]

The word commerce comes from the Latin commercium,[2] a combination of com (together) and merx (merchandise). Throughout history, the trading of goods has been an essential human activity. Trade fostered connection and cooperation among communities; it led to the creation of markets, the invention of money, and the emergence of complex economic and social systems.

In recent decades, however, trade has expanded beyond the economic sphere and evolved into a worldview—a way of thinking that treats nearly all goods, resources, and human activities as means to generate profit. This is the essence of commercialisation.

Today, virtually everything is commodified and subjected to commercialisation. Not only goods and services, but also natural resources, public institutions, knowledge, culture, human relationships, and even human beings, are being turned into commodities to be bought or sold on the market.

While profit has historically been an inherent aspect of trade, in today’s world, it has become the overriding purpose, not just of commerce but of nearly all economic and even social activity. It is no longer about earning a decent living but about generating continuous and ever-increasing profit, often disconnected from real human needs. Wealth accumulation has become an end in itself, and in the process, some of the most destructive human tendencies—greed, selfishness, and hyper-competitiveness—have been amplified.

Commercialisation has now permeated nearly every aspect of life. It has infiltrated healthcare, education, housing, food and water supply, culture, nature, and even our intimate relationships. The profit motive influences decisions at every level of society, frequently at the expense of compassion, fairness, and human dignity.

Consider the following:

• Nearly 800 million people are hungry in a world with more than enough food. Yet food is traded on financial markets as a speculative commodity. Meanwhile, celebrity chefs earn fortunes preparing luxury meals. Is this not grotesque?
• Around half of the global population doesn’t have access to basic medical care. Preventable diseases cause immense suffering and countless avoidable deaths.
• Housing has become a speculative asset, pushing millions out of the market. Young people cannot afford homes, to gain independence or start families, while entire neighbourhoods are converted into tourist rentals and profit-driven accommodations.

These are direct consequences of commercialisation. Human suffering is rationalised as 'economic reality', while profit is exalted above all else.

Commercialization fosters not only greed and competition but also indifference and complacency. It isolates us, making us self-centred and focused on personal gain while blinding us to the suffering of others. This distortion of our values erodes the social fabric, leading to a deepening global inequality that becomes increasingly dangerous.

It is essential to recognize that this situation is not inevitable. Commercialisation is a mindset—a dangerous one—but it is a mindset we have the power to change. Sharing is the noble path away from the edge of the abyss to which commercialisation has brought us.

From the e-book: Meditations on the Sharing Economy

Endnotes

1 Mesbahi, M. S. Commercialisation: The antithesis of sharing. Share The World's Resources. Retrieved from https://sharing.org/information-centre/articles/commercialisation-antithesis-sharing

2 Wiktionary. Commercium. Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/commercium

Picture: ChatGPT

The commons of humanity

The commons of humanity is the foundation for the resources, goods, and services essential to meeting basic human needs and ensuring the well-being of humanity. They must be managed with care, responsibility, and sustainability.

The commons encompasses all that meets basic human needs and supports human well-being and development. In this context, the concept of the commons can be meaningfully connected to oikos, the root of the word economy (from Ancient Greek oikonomia). Oikos “is a Greek word that refers to the family, the family’s property, and the home“.[1] It represents the foundation of survival and prosperity for both the household and its members.

In its broadest sense, oikos can be understood as both humanity (the family) and the Earth (the home), together with all its wealth—that is, the commons (the shared property of humanity).

The second part of the word economy, nomos, means 'law' or 'management'. It implies the wise and responsible stewardship of shared resources for the benefit of the entire household—or, more broadly, for all of humanity.

It is also important to note that the word ecology originates from the same root, oikos, combined with logos, meaning 'study' or 'discourse'. The term ecology was coined in 1866 by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel. It was originally defined as “the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment.”[2] Today, ecology also encompasses the protection and care of the environment, which we can understand as oikos in its broadest sense—the entire planet.[3]

Thus, the true purpose of the economy is to wisely manage (nomos) the commons—the Earth and its wealth (oikos)—for the common good[4] of the human family.

The commons includes not only natural elements such as land, oceans, rivers, forests, minerals, and the atmosphere but also humanity's heritage, such as cultural and architectural heritage, knowledge, and skills.

However, the commons does not usually directly satisfy human needs. They become economic resources when used to produce goods and services that meet essential needs. A simple illustration:

• Food products, such as bread, rice, vegetables, fruits, and dairy, are goods that meet human needs, supported by trade, transportation, and other services.
• To produce these food products (goods), we need resources such as land, seeds, water, and energy—all of which originate in the commons.

In other words, the commons is humanity's shared wealth transformed into economic resources used to produce goods that satisfy basic needs. However, the boundaries between commons, resources, goods, and services are often blurred in practice.

As commons is transformed into economic resources, they often become property—owned by individuals, companies, or governments. This is not inherently problematic as long as the fundamental goal remains the satisfaction of human needs and the well-being of all.

However, in today's world, natural and social resources are increasingly being used for private profit rather than for the common good—a trend known as the commercialization of the commons.

Commons that rightfully belongs to all of humanity are increasingly being reduced to market commodities—bought, sold, and manipulated for profit. The consequences are severe: hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. Commercialisation is not merely harmful—it is profoundly destructive.

The sharing economy offers an alternative: an approach that places the commons—and the economic resources derived from them—at the service of human needs and planetary well-being. It seeks to ensure that humanity's true wealth—the commons—is used to produce and fairly distribute the goods and services that sustain life and support its flourishing.


Endnotes

1 PHmuseum. OIKOS. Retrieved from https://phmuseum.com/projects/oikos; Wikipedia. Oikonomos. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oikonomos

2 Wikipedia. Ecology. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology

3 The understanding of the concept oikos can be further expanded, as illustrated by the following passage: “The Greek word for household is oikos, which means the words ecology (oikos-logos, the studied knowledge of our planetary household), economy (oikos-nomos, the management of the household), and ecumenicity (oikou-menikos, an openness to the worldwide household) all share a basic orientation to home.” (Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development. The Oikos of God: Economy and Ecology in the Global Household. Retrieved from https://interfaithsustain.com/the-oikos-of-god-economy-and-ecology-in-the-global-household/)

4 “In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, common weal, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by citizenship, collective action, and active participation in the realm of politics and public service.” (Wikipedia. Common good. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_good)

From the e-book: Meditations on the Sharing Economy