Fratelli Tutti
Sulla Fraternità e L'amicizia Sociale by Francesco is a wonderful new book by Marsilio.
What is the important message of the Bishop of Rome?
The meaning of brotherhood, a word that sometimes is not taken in consideration by everyone.
But...Who is a good person for Francis?
San Francesco with his life inspired Francis in writing this: brotherhood means loving friends although they can be close or distant from us. This simple act means that everyone will be appreciated, although maybe born in a complete different country and so, with a different story if compared with the closest friends.
After all Saint Francesco, writes Francis walked through people abandoned by the society, the so-called "discarded" people.
Who is a real good person to Francesco? Someone who wants to help other people at becoming themselves. It's important, Francis adds, that we dream all together, because if our dreams are isolated we risk that they remain just...dreams.
If, remarks Francis, the world tended decades ago at a sort of unification for avoiding new wars, like the devastating second one, it's a fact that most countries are returned at the so-called strong men and new nationalisms are born.
Yes, the globalization, adds Francis is keeping the world more close to us, but that doesn't want to say that we are more close or more...brothers.
Consuming is becoming a compulsive act, and individuals tend to think that their personal freedom will permit them of building everything starting from zero.
Be careful, adds Francesco: be careful because there are people who want to manipulate our mind, and want to let us think as they think, and more, they don't respect what history told us, what our past generations are telling us.
In general dictatorships starts in this way: a sort of brainwashing in which people think not anymore with their own mind and brain, although maybe they think that they are doing this, but with the one of someone very dangerous.
What kind of seeds can these manipulative people plant? Oh, not good ones at all, admits the Pope: lack of hope, a constant unhappiness and lack of trust. In this way society becomes sick, because there is not the common confrontation that there is in a country, but a sort of marketing operation for ruining the other competitors.
If winning means destroying the other ones how can it be possible to recognize people in need?
If we do love to take good care of our closest and distant world means having respect and curing ourselves as well!
There are big portions of the society that it is discarded with a little "selection" of human beings living limitlesses.
Yes, people are not felt anymore as people if they have difficulties, if they simply are not "standardized", and the main problem is that one.
If they are not useful or if they are not anymore useful, speaking of the old people they are discarded. If we abandon our old ones, it means that what interest us are just our indidivual interests.
So, with food and clothes also human being are discarded.
Let's speak of work and its obsession, remarks Francesco: reducing drastically costs of work means more unemployment and unemployment means poverty.
There is more richness tells Francis, in the world, but less equity and so new poverties.
This historical moment is dominated by the fear of future, delusion, uncertainty.
Man sometimes think that he is onnipotent, but after all, concludes Francesco, we are all in the same ship.
No man is an island sang once a singer; and Francesco thinks that Covid-19 for once created this state of mind: no one can save himself alone, in particular during this terrible and terrifying pandemic influenza: all the world is suffering. No one excluded. We're in all of this together.
Francesco uses splendid words, for describing the past and the present: the isolation created by this egoistical society and the rediscovery of the other in a new sense of community.
We created, affirms the Pope a world of porks, and this world disaster, the pandemic flu, is inteconnected with us and our life-style.
What it musn't happen, once this pandemic flu will be over, a return of egoism.
There's to hope that there will be a new society of "us" and not of "the others".
It's important to learn from this event. It is crucially important learning for becoming best people.
A long chapter is dedicated to migrants, symbol of weakness, research of a best place in the world where to live in, that fall in the hands of horrible people involved in drug, human and guns trafficking. No one should emigrate anymore if these ones are the results, and everyone should stay in the country where he/she is born.
When migrants become a political fact, old fears re-start to circulate dangerously creating hostility, hate.
Migrants need respect, and they are people like us, emigrated because in their lands there is a political condition unfortunately not good enough for staying. It's an act, the emigration, in most cases, caused by desperation and conflicts.
If a person is christian can't be racist, affirms Francesco.
Francesco focuses in the fear of the other that passes also through the internet, adding that in social platforms operate big economic interests manipulating the thinking of people.
We have been all migrants. Jewish people have been migrants, we emigrated in many countries, and in the Exodus, a line says that no one should offend a migrant, because you have all been migrants in the land of Egypt.
Compassion means helping others. Let's remember tells Francesco the parable told by Jesus of the Good Samaritan, a man surely with its own programs for that day, but that found a lot of compassion for the man in need, and healed him.
Many important people avoided the sick poor man but not the good Samaritan. So, asks Francesco: who are you? The helper or...the digger?
We became with the time says the Pope, insensitive people; if a problem doesn't touch us personally, we avoid any kind of help.
This behavior, avoid help, ignoring the other is a real misery. Better to be like the good Samaritan.
It's important to re-establish a good social order, relationship tissue. "The existence of each of us is strongly connected at the other ones; life doesn't mean time that goes by, but time of meeting" tell us Francesco.
We musn't wait that the our government sort out everything for us, as if we would be children but everyday being a new day can be great for every individual for building a best society.
Inclusion, integration, helping the one who fell, are crucials and very important things to do.
The samaritan, at the time of Jesus was considered impure, he didn't have the social consideration of all the other important people who refused to help the sick person, but he did it.
Helping other ones, also when different from our social tissue it's what we must do.
Slavery, violence, what a shame that the church recognized them as great sins with great late sometimes, writes Francis.
People must donate themselves says Francis. No one in fact can experiment the value of the existence without real faces to love. That one is a life much more strong than death! remarks strongly Francis.
I can't build my existence just staying close to my dear ones: it's necessary to diversify people we meet. In the desert, pilgrims are highly accepted by the local populations.
Poor and pilgrims said Saint Benedetto should be treated with great respect. No one become a real person, mature, if live isolated from the other ones.
We musn't search, says Francis too far for the suburbs of our world: they exist in a family, in a community. Disables, people abandoned for the most diversified reasons become strangers in their own country.
Every person should have the same right of the luckiest one. There are people are lucky enough; they start from their beginning a good existence. Warm houses, culture, food. Other ones are not so lucky enough and in a society like this one for sure there is no place for them.
If we use in this society and in this case words as freedom, democracy and brotherhood, they become...senseless.
They don't mean anymore what they should mean for a healthy society.
Educators must also know that their job is fundamental for helping newest generations at solidariety, freedom.
But also, affirms the Pope we must re-start to be kind, gentle with the other ones.
One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Truly inspiring, simple, for everyone and clear.
Highly recommended.
I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of the book.
