Common Ground, Common Good
It is possible — even desirable — to balance private and public property, along with private and public interests. Consider how Emily’s thoughtful landscape design balances driveways with the public right-of-way. This compromise quite literally plants roots that guarantee continued and improved public access while also ensuring driveway access for private property owners.
The proposal balances driveways and the public right-of-way.
In Mere Christianity (Book III, “Social Morality”), C.S. Lewis emphasizes that Christianity is not just about private faith but also about building a society oriented toward the common good:
“Christianity does not replace the ordinary human virtues; it gives them a new direction and a new force. It insists that we love our neighbors as ourselves and that we work for the common good, not merely our own advantage.”
Thoughtful compromise can allow respect and neighborly relations to take root again at Hidden Beach.
Writer, feminist, and historian Rebecca Solnit, in her book Orwell’s Roses (2021), points to George Orwell planting seven rose bushes alongside his fruit trees, even as he wrote about war and tyranny on the eve of World War II. Those roses mattered: they reminded him that natural beauty can give life meaning in dark times.
Hidden Beach is a natural gem — meaningful to the public and to nearby residents. The proposed design balances the interests of both. Hidden Beach can divide us, or it can remain a place of common ground and common good.
Hidden Beach September 30, 2025
