From: New City magazine
The reason why this letter has resonated so strongly is the new perspective it gives in a world often lacking in vision. With a sense of urgency, yet full of compassion, Pope Francis points to the deep ethical and spiritual roots of the current ‘social-environmental’ crisis. In fact, he says, we need to hear “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. He pinpoints a uni-dimensional world view, founded on a blind faith in market-based technocratic solutions, to resolve the world’s problems. He warns of the utter folly of such an approach, which gambles the future on markets. In fact, he makes the point that for all our scientific prowess, we are realising that much of this has been “irrational confidence in human abilities and progress.” We know very little about the interconnectedness of life – and often choose to ignore this fact.
Overcoming this blindness requires a new holistic vision – an integral ecology – that does not try to solve problems in an isolated, piece meal fashion, but sees the deep interconnections between the different crises. It requires deep mutual appreciation and dialogue – a capacity for unity. The relevance of this message is all too evident in politics when you look at the kinds of partial solutions put forward by the international community today, especially at the UN. A phenomenal amount of effort and money foes into generating solutions – but so much of that effort is wasted and duplicated since no-one can see the woods fot the proverbial trees.
