A fairer society is one that is flourishing

Author: Dr. Wendy M. Purcell PhD FRSA, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
Goal advisor for a fairer society, and Series Editor for Emerald's 17-book series 'Higher Education and the Sustainable Development Goals'

As we explore what it means to create and sustain a fairer society, we consider here what it means to flourish in our lives.

Perhaps it's about being financially secure, free of the money worries that plague so many and the uneven burden of debt. Maybe it describes the feeling of being loved and being able to love whomever you so choose. We'd probably include on our list that we want to feel our life has meaning and a sense of purpose – that we matter, have agency and can make choices in our life. Fulfilled in our work, able to learn new things, time for ourselves and time to spend with others. We want to be healthy – and this goes beyond not being sick – it's about a feeling of well-being, both physical and mental health. Simply put, we want to be able to be our fullest and best selves.

Well, this list is pretty close to what the research[1] tells us about what we need to flourish. Harvard's Human Flourishing Program has developed a measurement approach to human flourishing, based around five central domains: happiness and life satisfaction; mental and physical health; meaning and purpose; character and virtue, and close social relationships. Each of these is desired universally and each constitutes an end in and of itself. Sadly, however, they are not currently available to everyone and the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' seems to be getting bigger. Part of our journey towards the equity that defines a fairer society is to conceive of human flourishing as a universal human right.

Flourishing is more than simply not feeling sad or just being happy; in fact, there are multiple dimensions to living a 'good life'[2]. These include positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishments. We also know that self-esteem, spiritual health and dignity are part of flourishing[3]. The pursuit of flourishing is not a hollow or hedonistic one – there are genuine individual and societal benefits. Whether it's about flourishing at work showing up in reduced absences or enhanced creativity, or flourishing in our everyday lives meaning we experience fewer health risks with lower incidents of chronic disease, investing in flourishing pays off. And, there are evidence-based ways to measure flourishing and what works to promote it [4]^{, [5]}.

Flourishing then is about the opportunity to thrive. Anyone can flourish, but it's clear not everyone is doing so – hence the pursuit of the global Agenda 2030 that seeks to create a world where 'no one will be left behind'[6]^{, [7]}. So, while we know much about flourishing and are learning more every day, there is still so much more to know and to do – particularly, how we make this an inclusive agenda and central to our pursuit of a fairer society.