One of the four permanent principles of the Church's social doctrine: "The human person is essentially a social being. On coming into this world, we are not equipped with everything we need for developing bodily and spiritual life. We need others. We live, work, and worship with others. Because our lives are lived with others, our human rights are realized in community, and we all must work together, across generational and economic lines, for the sake of the common good, for the general welfare of the entire human family."
USCCB, A Commitment to All Generations: Social Security and the Common Good , 1999