Just as in April 2017, TED conference attendees in Vancouver were graced with a surprise message from Pope Francis, who delivered a TED Talk via video link from his desk at the Vatican, in May 2017, SFTS Lodge members and guests attending our weekly "Friday Night Conversation In Theosophy" were graced with the same surprise message, courtesy of TED which makes all of its content publicly available. The profound insights Pope Francis shared in his talk are in deeply resonant with the motto and twin core principles of our Lodge: “No Religion Higher Than Truth, No Power Greater Than Love.” To further the reach of this vital message, we have also chosen Pope Francis’ TED Talk as our Dharma Message for 2017-2018 and embedding the video here.
Here is an excerpt from Pope Francis’ remarks (we also have included a link to the full transcript):
The third message I would like to share today is, indeed, about revolution: the revolution of tenderness. And what is tenderness? It is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. 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. To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick and polluted earth. Tenderness means to use our hands and our heart to comfort the other, to take care of those in need.Tenderness is the language of the young children, of those who need the other. A child’s love for mom and dad grows through their touch, their gaze, their voice, their tenderness. I like when I hear parents talk to their babies, adapting to the little child, sharing the same level of communication. This is tenderness: being on the same level as the other. God himself descended into Jesus to be on our level. This is the same path the Good Samaritan took. This is the path that Jesus himself took. He lowered himself, he lived his entire human existence practicing the real, concrete language of love. Yes, tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility. Please, allow me to say it loud and clear: 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. There is a saying in Argentina: “Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach.” You feel dizzy, you get drunk, you lose your balance, and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you, if you don’t connect your power with humility and tenderness. Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power – the highest, the strongest one – becomes a service, a force for good.The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a “you” and themselves as part of an “us.” We all need each other. And so, please, think of me as well with tenderness, so that I can fulfill the task I have been given for the good of the other, of each and every one, of all of you, of all of us. Thank you.
Full Transcript of Pope Francis’ Ted Talk
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where "Technology, Entertainment and Design" converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Independently run TEDx events help share ideas around the world.
