16 with it can create anti-social behaviour. Pope Francis says: I wish to insist that love always proves more powerful (149). Those who design the spaces and areas in which we live must be consultative, taking into account the preferences of the people who will inhabit these spaces and people’s quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance (150). Good urban and rural planning interventions will increase our sense of belonging (151) and some spaces should always remain untouched and protected from constant changes brought by human intervention (151). Adequate housing, too, is a major issue for human ecology (152), as is transportation; more and more cars increase congestion and pollution, and the infrastructure needed to cope with this spoils the landscape. Public transportation systems should be prioritised as people in many cities are forced to put up with undignified conditions due to crowding, inconvenience, infrequent service and lack of safety (153). The chaotic realities that people have to endure in city life (154) and the conditions of servitude (154) which can exist in rural areas are often at odds with human rights and dignity. Another reality of human ecology is the relationship between human life and the moral law (155) by which we accept and care for our bodies and the specific gifts of another man or woman, the work of God the Creator, and find mutual enrichment (155). IV The Principle of the Common Good Each person has basic and inalienable rights Quoting Gaudium et Spes, the Pope reminds us that the common good is the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfilment (156). Firstly, this principle calls for the welfare of society as a whole—social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without particular concern for distributive justice (157). Following this, it supports the flourishing of distinct groups within it (such as the family), as well as respect for each person. In today’s world, where growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable (158), our convictions as believers should demonstrate that the principle of the common good becomes a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters (158).
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