And finally, I would like to make some suggestions on what we might do to work with each other toward greater understanding and fellowship. All of this is predicated on one of the stated foundations of this group, respect. In order to respect someone, we must see in them value. We must value each other. Socrates, who was supposed to have been the wisest man in all of antiquity was reported to have said, Every man is my superior, in that I may learn from him.
All people are of greatest value.
Centuries later, another great philosopher, Immanuel Kant, claimed that all humans are of infinite value, and that all of us are to be dealt with never as a means, but rather as ends, in and of themselves. One of our greatest unifying factors should be the common respect we share for each other. The United States has been called the Great Melting Pot, or the Great Salad Bowl, depending to whom you speak. We are a conglomerate nation, a nation of differences. Some differences include religion.