Synthesis: for all (accessible version)
Let’s Talk About Life: It’s Like a Big, Amazing Garden!
Imagine the whole world is a giant garden - full of plants, animals, and people, all trying to grow, stay alive, and become the best they can be. The flowers reach for the sun, the birds build nests for their babies, and people do all sorts of things like making friends, building houses, drawing pictures, or learning new stuff at school. Everything in this garden is working together to keep life going and make it even better.
Now, sometimes people have big arguments about what’s right or wrong. Maybe your mate says, “You should always tell the truth,” but your sister says, “Sometimes a little fib is okay if it keeps someone from getting hurt.” Or maybe people argue about bigger things - like what rules we should follow, what religion is best, or who should be in charge. All these ideas, like religions, philosophies, or politics, are trying to answer one big question: What’s good?
Here’s the really cool discovery I want to share with you:
The only thing that’s truly good is whatever helps life grow and get better.
That’s it! If something makes people happier, healthier, smarter, or kinder - it’s good. If it makes life weaker, sadder, or smaller - it’s not so good. This isn’t just something I made up - you can see it everywhere in the garden of life.
Let’s look at some examples:
Plants grow towards sunlight because it helps them stay alive and strong. That’s life trying to get better!
Mums and dads look after their kids - they make sure they’re safe, fed, and loved - because that helps the kids grow up and keep life going.
Doctors and nurses help people when they’re sick - they fix broken bones or cure colds - because that keeps life healthy and happy.
Even animals do this! Think about a mummy lion protecting her cubs from danger, or ants working together to build a big nest. Everything in the garden of life is trying to grow and get stronger - and the things that help with that are what’s good.
So, when people argue about what’s right or wrong, there’s really just one question we need to ask: “Does this help life grow and get better, or does it hurt it?”
Let’s try it with a few examples:
Imagine a school rule that says, “No one can play at break time.” Does that help life grow? Probably not - playing makes kids happy, healthy, and good at making friends. So maybe that rule isn’t so good.
Now think about a rule like, “Everyone has to share the toys.” That helps kids learn to be kind and work together - which makes life better for everyone. That sounds like a good rule!
What about bigger stuff, like how we treat the planet? If we chop down all the trees and pollute the rivers, the garden of life gets weaker - animals lose their homes, and people get sick. But if we plant more trees and keep the rivers clean, life gets stronger - more animals can live, and people have fresh water. That’s a no-brainer, right?
This idea - that good is whatever helps life grow - can change the world. Instead of arguing over who’s right or wrong, we can all start asking the same question: “How can we make life better for everyone?” It’s like everyone in the garden working together - the flowers, the birds, the people - all helping each other grow.
Here’s a fun challenge for you: next time you hear people arguing about something - maybe at home, at school, or on the telly - ask yourself, “Does this help life grow and get better, or does it hurt it?” You might be surprised how clear things get! What do you think - can you spot some ways to help the garden of life grow where you are?
Join the movement to help bring more good into the world
Choose Life ❤️
– James Dean Conroy