RFK on the poverty of satisfaction

Ronald writes on January 6, 2012, quoting from an address by Robert F. Kennedy at the University of Kansas:

“Even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another great task.  It is to confront the poverty of satisfaction a lack of purpose and dignity that inflicts us all.

“Too much and for too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.

“The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play.

“It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.

“It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country;

“It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

I have always found this text very inspirational.

I wish you the best of luck !

Econ4 replies:

Thanks, Ronald. There’s still a tremendous gap between how orthodox economists measure well-being and what’s really of value. In these eloquent remarks, delivered just 11 weeks before he was assassinated, RFK pinpointed one of the reasons why we want to upload ethics into economics.