Many of us are so absorbed in our own little world that we cannot see the bigger world around us, even if the media continuously feeds us images of deprivation and violence. We are products of an era of individualism, greed and selfishness but also of indifference. We are immune to social injustices, political ineptness and corruption; and the victims of this culture of indifference end up being detached and cynical.
The reality is that we are surrounded by poverty, with people who are lonely, anxious and insecure. Pope Francis broadens the definition of poverty from that of ‘material deprivation’, which reflects living conditions, lack of necessities and education, to ‘moral poverty’ – the ‘slavery to vice and sin’, an obsession with material wealth and power, and ‘spiritual poverty’ “which we experience when we are turned away from God… because we believe we can make do on our own”. (Message for Lent, 2014).
The social encyclicals of Pope Francis call us to urgently re-examine the way we live and to adopt a new, more inclusive socioeconomic model that reflects “a single human family”, where “everything is connected”. This demands from us a genuine interest in others, translated into a call for action to resolve problems of society.
To move from indifference to action we need a profound internal conversion with a serious examination of our conscience in the face of the injustices of laws, economics and finance, and the hypocrisy of policymakers in politics and the economy.
To shake our conscience, we have to move closer to the poor and marginalised. When he was in Assisi last November, Pope Francis said the first suffering of the marginalised is spiritual, which is partially healed not only by bringing them food, but by also stopping to talk to them and listen to what they have to say, to understand what they are going through. This is what leads to a genuine experience of hospitality and community, a clearer understanding of what people who are victims of deprivation truly experience. Pope Francis refers to the “social debt” that the privileged owe to the people at the margins.
The solution needs creativity and innovation, but it mostly needs a change of heart. Long-term justice has to take precedence over short-term gains. Human dignity needs to be at the centre of policymaking. Technological innovation should start by looking at the human and social consequences of new developments. Medical research should look for solutions to health problems while respecting the complete human person – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Long-term justice has to take precedence over short-term gains. Human dignity needs to be at the centre of policymaking
The environment is to be seen as an integral part of human development and policies have to address social development within a context of preserving our environment. It is useless speaking about promoting the common good if we do not understand the radical changes it demands from policymakers in government and society. The ultimate objective is to create social conditions that allow everyone to reach their fulfilment more completely and swiftly. This can only be achieved through respect and protection of human rights, through social well-being and human development, and through respect for the rule of law.