TED Conference given by His Holiness Pope Francis. He touched on many topics but particularly on the impact science & technology, and how it affects our world, it's people, being both positive and negative in scope. In other words, "there is no 'you' without an 'us' ":
"In this complicated and often confusing world, Pope Francis has become possibly the only moral voice capable of reaching people across boundaries and providing clarity and a compelling message of hope," said Bruno Giussani, TED's international curator, who finally coaxed Francis into participating.
The theme of TED's conference was "The Future You," and Francis did what he does best, delivering a plainspoken sermon on the importance of interconnection and tenderness. Essentially, he told the academics and innovators, scientists and techies, there is no "you," without an "us."
"Quite a few years of life have strengthened my conviction that each and everyone's existence is deeply tied to that of others," Francis said. "Life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions."
Pope Francis said scientific and technological innovation is fine, but not when it blinds us to the suffering of people sitting next to us on the subway.
"How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us," he said.
Too often, Francis continued, modern "techno-economic" systems put products ahead of technology.
"People's paths are riddled with suffering, as everything is centered around money, and things, instead of people."
"A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another 'you,' and another 'you,' and it turns into an 'us.' And so, does hope begin when we have an 'us?' No. Hope began with one 'you.' When there is an 'us,' there begins a revolution.
"Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future," Francis said in his TED talk. "To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick polluted Earth...."
Tenderness isn't for the weak, the Pope continued. It takes spiritual and emotional strength to empathize and act on behalf of the neediest. And the alternative, arrogant and out-of-touch leaders, are like fall-down drunks who ruin the party for everyone.
...the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don't, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other."
Good thing, then, that politicians and big companies don't own the future, Francis said. We do.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/26/world/pope-ted-talk/
