A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to share a video with communication students: in 2019, Pope Francis summoned to the Vatican leaders of South Sudan, engaged in a civil war, and kissed their feet, in order to encourage the peace process in the country, which has suffered hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the conflict.
No one had ever seen it. It was shocking. One idea was emphasized: no politician would do that. This consideration manifests the transformative potential of the Gospel. A disconcertingly alternative logic dwells in it. We get used to seeing it in some rituals, but by dint of standardization, it loses its profound impact.
In the same vein, Arthur Brooks, currently a Harvard professor and author of the best seller Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt (Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt), commented some time ago in a talk that he had encountered people who complimented him on the idea of "loving one's enemies," ignoring its biblical origin. This story prompted him to reflect on the inspirational potential of the gospel in a post-Christian culture.
We live in polarized contexts of fragile consensus and social conflicts. There are issues that divide families, break friendships, distance neighbors, inhibit collaboration and discourage working together to solve common problems. Brooks is concerned about the culture of contempt, which is the sum of anger plus disgust. Contempt is more serious than anger: anger gives importance to the other; contempt disqualifies him.
The Gospel offers a complete pharmacopoeia for these contemporary pathologies. Perhaps the light of these pressing challenges will allow us to discover new glimmers in the treasure of always, which habituation may be hiding under the layer of dust of commonplaces and hackneyed phrases.
The recent film Oslo artfully depicts the encounter between Jews and Palestinians at the Oslo Accords negotiations, defying half a century of confrontation. At the origin of this milestone in history, two people began to see each other as human beings and peace was for them a priority value. Then two others. Suddenly, the daughters of two negotiators had the same name - Maya - and hope was on the horizon. Reconnecting with that "love your enemies"that revolutionized the history of mankind in the realities of everyday life could be the beginning of something new.
Professor of Sociology of Communication. Austral University (Buenos Aires)
