Contract and Covenant Making

“Every child in Britain should be taught two skills: contract-making and covenant-making. Contract is about association for self-interest; covenant is about association in shared identity. Both are important life skills. Contract teaches us the logic of non-‘zero-sum’ness. Life is not a match in which you either win or lose. Creative, lateral thought can often create win-win scenarios. Covenant teaches us about relationships: love and loyalty, commitment and responsibility. Teaching children about covenant-making will help them in later life to build families and communities, based on a regard for the other as well as self. It will also help them answer one of the most difficult of life’s questions: Who am I?”

The Home We Build Together, p. 158