The goal of moral values is to shine like constellations in our lives, lighting the path toward the perfection of our character. The word perfection traces back to the Latin perfectio, meaning to complete or finish. In a wider sense, it calls us to bring something to its fullest bloom, much like a life ripening into maturity. The Latin perfectus means to have acted or finished, mirroring the perfect tense in grammar, which marks something fully realized.
For ancient philosophers, perfection was the music of harmony, order, and proportion. Plato saw perfection as the flawless fit, where nothing was out of place.
In Christian philosophy, Jesus established perfection as a fundamental standard: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is.” While Matthew uses “perfect,” Luke uses “merciful,” reflecting early Christians’ belief that mercy best represents God’s character. St. Augustine, in De perfectione iustitiae hominis (PL 44 c. 233 n.), discusses the pursuit of perfection, defining a perfect person not as one who has achieved perfection, but as one who strives for it. Moral values guide this journey.
Here, we invite you, our esteemed reader, to explore perspectives on these values that have been shared by humanity for centuries, and to discover stories of remarkable individuals—especially from the Indo-Pacific—who have brought these ideals to life.
Democracy is the government ruled by the people. Democracy is of value because it produces liberty and equality. Democracy provides an environment that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms. The benefits of democracy include: (1) democracy helps to prevent rule by cruel and vicious autocrats; (2) modern representative democracies do not fight wars with one another; (3) countries with democratic governments tend to be more prosperous than countries with nondemocratic governments; (4) democracy tends to foster human development more than other forms of government; (5) it helps people to protect their fundamental interests; (6) democracy guarantees its citizens fundamental rights that nondemocratic systems do not; (7) democracy ensures its citizens a broader range of personal freedoms than other alternatives; (8) only democracy provides people with a maximum opportunity to live under laws of their own choosing; (9) only democracy provides people with a maximum opportunity to take moral responsibility for their choices and decisions about government policies; (10) only in a democracy can there be a relatively high level of political equality.
Alfred Deakin (3 Aug 1856 – 7 Oct 1919) was Australia’s second prime minister and a leading “father of Federation.” He served as prime minister multiple non-consecutive terms (1903–1904, 1905–1908, 1909–1910). His achievement included major nation-building influence: he helped drive federation, shaped early federal legislation and institutions (including work associated with the High Court and other core legal/policy frameworks), and introduced significant measures such as old-age pensions and tariff protection.
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