@Samana Johann I’ll put my question a different way. Does it have anything do with what any of us here might be able to do to help relieve people’s distress in the world around us, or otherwise help improve the world for all people everywhere? If so, can you tell me how the discussion you have in mind might help us do that?
This is also a thoughtful qestion, Mr Jim. Given that people gather here together for their own long term benefit, for the long term benefit and happiness of others, for the long, even lasting, benefit and happiness for many:
Giving of what one owns, one has, and can be shared without harm oneself or others, can never be valid criticized, giving of what can is always of help, at least for the giver, yet of cause something that has to be learned, trained and taught so that giving would not cause un-ease bonds and bonds upward not down.
As for moral virtue, while giving of material things can be, and often do, for the lose of others in non voluntary way, the next step, also because giving of material things is limited, is virtue, meaning giving countless beings the freedom from harm, oppression and fear. A giving which can never be criticised, the giving from abstain to take live, abstain from taking what is not given, abstain from fleshly abuse, abstain from speaking of what is not true and to refrain from indoxication which makes heedless and forget the four first. Such is for ones own long term benefit and that of all others, for even longer manifold times then material giving, generosity.
Both, starting with generosity to train, are not only the foundation of every re-ligion (binding, re-bound, bound), but also for every community, even for low, not to speak of high.
Render help is called Sangha-vatthu, foundation, base of fellowship, and consist of this two virtues mainly.
My person thinks that it is hardly possible, not even possible, to valid reject generosity and moral virtue as the very foundation for happiness which goes beyond just eating off of what might be left. Something that needs most care, encouragement and training, teaching, and is based on universal laws, independent of current trends and costumes, time and placeless for everyone.
Perhaps, as a root, the forum could be called Interdependence.
That is a nice and good name, Mrs/Ms Willamena. Good as for generosity of the first grades. On higher and possible objected level, if generosity is based on firm virtue, those virtues, by not violation the facts of dependencies, actually lead to independency. So maybe a dynamic title, not so static, might be good, one pointing on way and actions, maybe something like "from dependency to independency" or simply "basic roots of bounds (religion)"?
Sadhu and mudita in regard of interest, something actually hard to find anywhere.
