Values and beliefs of our community
“Let us not do it in words, but in deeds. To serve and not to rule; to help and not to force; to love and not to harm will be our task.” Karl König
"None of us is an employer or employee. None of us regards the money, which goes through (our) hands as a personal possession. We do not earn money, we administer it.
Our work, in whichever sphere we do it, is done without the expectation to be paid; but we do expect to live under conditions which are appropriate to our personal needs. Thus we try to arrange our lives in accordance with the fundamental social law, which Rudolf Steiner formulated:
'The welfare of a group of people who work together is the better the less the single person claims for himself the profit of his labours."
Dr. Karl König (1902-1966) was a refugee from the Nazis and the founder of the Camphill Movement and the Camphill Village Trust (1954). He laid the foundation for the Camphill Community at Botton (1955) and the many more to follow worldwide.
Botton's co-workers have restated their values and beliefs in the Botton Declaration of 23 July 2014.
The following 12 statements are values and beliefs of community for Botton Village and Camphill in general. This is a short version that was read by villagers, friends and co-workers at the "Beacon for Botton" event on 26 September 2014.
Every human being is born out of the spirit and dies into the spirit. We are both mortal and immortal, having a home on earth and a home in heaven.
All human beings are equal and each human being is unique. We may be sick in body and poor in soul, but in sprit we are whole.
Each human life has purpose and meaning and through our trials we grow towards a greater purpose and a higher meaning.
Each human being has the right to self-determination.
All human beings are equal before the law.
All human beings are brothers and sisters to one another.
Every human being is his brother’s keeper.
To bring about what is good, human beings must act.
Where human beings seek to work together in community, the individual must be prepared to place his own will at the service of a shared ideal and a common purpose.
The human being is not meant to be alone. To become fully human, I must share life with others.
Human labour is not a commodity. The meaning of work is to meet the needs of others.
The living earth is a creation of the divine world and has been consecrated by the body and blood of Christ. It is sacred.