Solidarity

Solidarity, or social charity, expresses an idea of unity, cohesion, and mutual collaboration. It is intimately tied to love, and like love, it can be considered on two distinct levels:

• Solidarity as a feeling: The spontaneous human tendency to associate in pursuit of common goods. It is the inclination to feel bound to others, whether through resemblance or shared interests. It includes the sorrow felt when those affinity groups suffer misfortune. These are good feelings, but they are at times unstable or superficial.
• Solidarity as a virtue: The firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good. Here we are speaking of a habit or moral quality—a stable decision to collaborate with others. With all people, for in reality there exists a real bond with all human beings, even if one does not subjectively feel united to some. This solidarity as a virtue is much firmer and more important than the merely sentimental kind, and it is this virtue that we continue to examine.

Solidarity rests upon multiple foundations that we can gather into two main categories:
a) Human reasons: equality of human nature, mutual need for support, greater collective effectiveness, and expanding the heart to overcome selfishness.
b) Spiritual motives: universal human fraternity, the shared dignity of children of God, unity of eternal destiny, identical redemption, and common union with Christ and Mary.

They closely resemble one another. One might say that solidarity is directed toward social groups, whereas charity considers persons individually. In reality, it is most precise to state that solidarity is an essential dimension of charity.

- This firm decision to seek the good of all can be applied in numerous areas:

• Solidarity of the poor among themselves; of the rich toward the poor, and remarkably, of the poor toward the rich. These forms of solidarity are exercised in varied ways: for instance, the wealthy person seeks practical ways to foster the human and economic development of the poor, while the poor person responds with gratitude.
• Solidarity of employers toward their employees, and of employees toward their employers: for instance, employers paying a just family wage, and employees working with diligence and loyalty.
• Solidarity of women among themselves and toward men, and likewise of men among themselves and toward women, eliminating machismo and contempt.
• Solidarity of regions, races, and nations toward one another, eliminating all forms of racism and divisive nationalisms.

- A lack of solidarity consists in any action that pursues narrow self-interest or the interest of one's own circle while disregarding or scorning the genuine good of other social groups. Examples include:

• Any form of class struggle directly violates the principles of solidarity.
• The various forms of human exploitation, whether of vulnerable groups or of developing nations, are diametrically opposed to solidarity.
• Divisive nationalisms and regionalisms. Here it is fitting to clarify that a noble love for one's own town, region, or country is good and legitimate. The failure of solidarity appears when that love is turned into contempt, hatred, or indifference toward other peoples, regions, or nations.
• In general, any form of self-centeredness. For instance, young people who think exclusively of their own immediate fun are usually lacking in solidarity toward parents, teachers, neighbors, and even the workers who clean the public streets.

The examples mentioned above in points 4 and 5 offer practical orientation. Additional valid guidelines include:

• Fostering a universal, catholic outlook that overcomes narrow parochialism and localisms.
• Avoiding aggressive or combative attitudes toward other groups: dispensing with rivalries, gangs, and exclusive cliques.
• Actively seeking opportunities to collaborate: volunteer work, visiting elder care homes, helping with family chores, leaving public and private spaces clean and orderly to lighten the work of others, and so forth.

To encourage others to practice solidarity, one can develop and explain the motives outlined in points 2 and 6. Promoting the virtue of charity in general will also powerfully foster genuine solidarity.