2.1 Towards a good life for everyone

In order to motivate people and societies to make far-reaching changes, a positive target perspective that can have a motivating and guiding force is needed. The examples outlined at the beginning of this paper illustrate "where the socio-ecological transformation must lead away from" in order to prevent the destruction of our livelihoods. However, they also illustrate how important it is to show attractive ideas of a "where to" as well as of the viable paths of the transformation in order to concretely achieve this goal.

In Laudato si', too, the "cry of Mother Earth" and the "cry of the poor" are on the one hand the call "away from", namely the call to turn away from structures and courses of action that harm nature and people. At the same time, they are a call to a "where-to", namely towards a life that is less focused on status, wastage and consumption, but can nevertheless – or precisely because of this – entail an increase in satisfaction, relationship, joy, meaning and fulfilment. The social-ecological reformulated call to conversion in Laudato si' is both a call for an urgently needed turning away and a call for a different life that can be good for everyone.

Describing this target perspective more precisely is by no means trivial. It must at least be in principle acceptable for all people, despite their different preferences, value orientations and concepts of a good life. Since the livelihoods of all present and future people are at stake, all individual interests, however understandable they may be, must be subordinated to the common good in the case of conflict (as explained in 2.2). At the same time, the goal perspective must be substantial and vivid enough to offer motivation and guidance for concrete change, without overlooking two objections: One must neither prescribe certain ways of life in a paternalistic way nor favour individual culturally shaped objectives and thus disregard cultural differences.