0:00:00.365,0:00:02.780
[His Holiness Pope Francis[br]Filmed in Vatican City

0:00:02.805,0:00:04.300
First shown at TED2017]

0:00:04.900,0:00:10.980
Good evening – or, good morning,[br]I am not sure what time it is there.

0:00:12.700,0:00:18.540
Regardless of the hour, I am thrilled[br]to be participating in your conference.

0:00:20.696,0:00:24.460
I very much like its title[br]– "The Future You" –

0:00:25.820,0:00:32.380
because, while looking at tomorrow,[br]it invites us to open a dialogue today,

0:00:33.500,0:00:37.820
to look at the future through a "you."

0:00:39.284,0:00:40.530
"The Future You:"

0:00:41.820,0:00:48.820
the future is made of yous,[br]it is made of encounters,

0:00:49.660,0:00:52.220
because life flows[br]through our relations with others.

0:00:54.460,0:00:56.356
Quite a few years of life

0:00:56.380,0:00:59.876
have strengthened my conviction

0:00:59.900,0:01:06.900
that each and everyone's existence[br]is deeply tied to that of others:

0:01:07.719,0:01:14.439
life is not time merely passing by,[br]life is about interactions.

0:01:16.380,0:01:20.620
As I meet, or lend an ear[br]to those who are sick,

0:01:21.620,0:01:26.356
to the migrants[br]who face terrible hardships

0:01:26.380,0:01:28.380
in search of a brighter future,

0:01:29.220,0:01:33.300
to prison inmates who carry[br]a hell of pain inside their hearts,

0:01:33.820,0:01:38.060
and to those, many of them young,[br]who cannot find a job,

0:01:38.940,0:01:41.740
I often find myself wondering:

0:01:43.460,0:01:46.555
"Why them and not me?"

0:01:49.055,0:01:52.928
I, myself, was born[br]in a family of migrants;

0:01:54.540,0:01:59.956
my father, my grandparents,[br]like many other Italians,

0:01:59.980,0:02:02.036
left for Argentina

0:02:02.060,0:02:06.540
and met the fate of those[br]who are left with nothing.

0:02:08.220,0:02:12.140
I could have very well ended up[br]among today's "discarded" people.

0:02:13.900,0:02:18.617
And that's why I always ask myself,[br]deep in my heart:

0:02:18.641,0:02:21.919
"Why them and not me?"

0:02:24.220,0:02:28.716
First and foremost, I would love it[br]if this meeting could help to remind us

0:02:28.740,0:02:32.580
that we all need each other,

0:02:33.418,0:02:36.058
none of us is an island,

0:02:37.100,0:02:40.500
an autonomous and independent "I,"[br]separated from the other,

0:02:42.020,0:02:48.340
and we can only build the future[br]by standing together, including everyone.

0:02:50.140,0:02:56.156
We don’t think about it often,[br]but everything is connected,

0:02:56.180,0:03:00.620
and we need to restore[br]our connections to a healthy state.

0:03:01.725,0:03:04.702
Even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart

0:03:04.726,0:03:07.796
against my brother or my sister,

0:03:07.820,0:03:11.876
the open wound that was never cured,[br]the offense that was never forgiven,

0:03:11.900,0:03:14.916
the rancor that is only going to hurt me,

0:03:14.940,0:03:18.242
are all instances of a fight[br]that I carry within me,

0:03:18.266,0:03:20.956
a flare deep in my heart[br]that needs to be extinguished

0:03:20.980,0:03:25.660
before it goes up in flames,[br]leaving only ashes behind.

0:03:27.220,0:03:29.540
Many of us, nowadays,

0:03:30.180,0:03:34.180
seem to believe that a happy future[br]is something impossible to achieve.

0:03:35.740,0:03:38.100
While such concerns[br]must be taken very seriously,

0:03:39.300,0:03:41.295
they are not invincible.

0:03:42.620,0:03:48.780
They can be overcome when we don't lock[br]our door to the outside world.

0:03:49.780,0:03:52.540
Happiness can only be discovered

0:03:53.300,0:03:56.900
as a gift of harmony between the whole[br]and each single component.

0:03:59.100,0:04:02.020
Even science – and you know it[br]better than I do –

0:04:02.700,0:04:07.756
points to an understanding of reality

0:04:07.780,0:04:14.780
as a place where every element connects[br]and interacts with everything else.

0:04:16.820,0:04:21.140
And this brings me to my second message.

0:04:22.780,0:04:24.540
How wonderful would it be

0:04:25.859,0:04:30.780
if the growth of scientific[br]and technological innovation

0:04:31.580,0:04:37.660
would come along with more equality[br]and social inclusion.

0:04:38.780,0:04:43.940
How wonderful would it be,[br]while we discover faraway planets,

0:04:44.940,0:04:51.441
to rediscover the needs of the brothers[br]and sisters orbiting around us.

0:04:52.260,0:04:55.476
How wonderful would it be if solidarity,

0:04:55.500,0:04:59.020
this beautiful and, at times,[br]inconvenient word,

0:04:59.940,0:05:03.916
were not simply reduced to social work,

0:05:03.940,0:05:07.596
and became, instead, the default attitude

0:05:07.620,0:05:12.380
in political, economic[br]and scientific choices,

0:05:13.220,0:05:19.236
as well as in the relationships[br]among individuals, peoples and countries.

0:05:19.260,0:05:23.268
Only by educating people[br]to a true solidarity

0:05:23.292,0:05:26.968
will we be able to overcome

0:05:26.992,0:05:30.339
the "culture of waste,"

0:05:31.610,0:05:34.820
which doesn't concern only food and goods

0:05:37.420,0:05:40.076
but, first and foremost, the people

0:05:40.100,0:05:45.180
who are cast aside[br]by our techno-economic systems

0:05:45.940,0:05:49.420
which, without even realizing it,

0:05:50.340,0:05:56.066
are now putting products[br]at their core, instead of people.

0:05:57.340,0:06:04.340
Solidarity is a term that many wish[br]to erase from the dictionary.

0:06:05.380,0:06:09.700
Solidarity, however,[br]is not an automatic mechanism.

0:06:10.380,0:06:12.900
It cannot be programmed or controlled.

0:06:13.660,0:06:17.660
It is a free response born[br]from the heart of each and everyone.

0:06:18.700,0:06:21.340
Yes, a free response!

0:06:22.220,0:06:23.436
When one realizes

0:06:23.460,0:06:28.196
that life, even in the middle[br]of so many contradictions, is a gift,

0:06:28.220,0:06:31.940
that love is the source[br]and the meaning of life,

0:06:32.700,0:06:37.883
how can they withhold their urge[br]to do good to another fellow being?

0:06:39.060,0:06:40.836
In order to do good,

0:06:40.860,0:06:46.020
we need memory, we need courage[br]and we need creativity.

0:06:48.300,0:06:55.180
And I know that TED[br]gathers many creative minds.

0:06:57.180,0:07:03.137
Yes, love does require[br]a creative, concrete

0:07:04.192,0:07:05.990
and ingenious attitude.

0:07:07.750,0:07:12.841
Good intentions and conventional formulas,

0:07:12.865,0:07:18.265
so often used to appease[br]our conscience, are not enough.

0:07:19.036,0:07:22.276
Let us help each other,[br]all together, to remember

0:07:22.900,0:07:26.940
that the other is not[br]a statistic or a number.

0:07:27.997,0:07:29.620
The other has a face.

0:07:30.346,0:07:34.569
The "you" is always a real presence,

0:07:34.593,0:07:37.756
a person to take care of.

0:07:41.454,0:07:46.836
There is a parable Jesus told[br]to help us understand the difference

0:07:46.860,0:07:53.690
between those who'd rather not be bothered[br]and those who take care of the other.

0:07:55.380,0:08:00.320
I am sure you have heard it before.[br]It is the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

0:08:02.100,0:08:05.580
When Jesus was asked:[br]"Who is my neighbor?" -

0:08:06.180,0:08:09.660
namely, "Who should I take care of?" -

0:08:11.020,0:08:15.037
he told this story, the story of a man

0:08:15.061,0:08:20.900
who had been assaulted, robbed,[br]beaten and abandoned along a dirt road.

0:08:22.340,0:08:28.420
Upon seeing him, a priest and a Levite,[br]two very influential people of the time,

0:08:29.180,0:08:32.620
walked past him without stopping to help.

0:08:33.580,0:08:39.698
After a while, a Samaritan, a very much[br]despised ethnicity at the time, walked by.

0:08:40.773,0:08:46.156
Seeing the injured man[br]lying on the ground,

0:08:46.180,0:08:50.620
he did not ignore him[br]as if he weren't even there.

0:08:51.572,0:08:54.673
Instead, he felt compassion for this man,

0:08:55.775,0:09:02.747
which compelled him to act[br]in a very concrete manner.

0:09:04.220,0:09:08.190
He poured oil and wine[br]on the wounds of the helpless man,

0:09:09.052,0:09:10.956
brought him to a hostel

0:09:10.980,0:09:14.300
and paid out of his pocket[br]for him to be assisted.

0:09:15.900,0:09:19.700
The story of the Good Samaritan[br]is the story of today’s humanity.

0:09:20.740,0:09:25.676
People's paths are riddled with suffering,

0:09:25.700,0:09:31.700
as everything is centered around money,[br]and things, instead of people.

0:09:32.940,0:09:38.636
And often there is this habit, by people[br]who call themselves "respectable,"

0:09:38.660,0:09:41.235
of not taking care of the others,

0:09:41.882,0:09:48.720
thus leaving behind thousands[br]of human beings, or entire populations,

0:09:49.072,0:09:51.040
on the side of the road.

0:09:53.620,0:09:58.248
Fortunately, there are also those[br]who are creating a new world

0:09:58.272,0:10:03.500
by taking care of the other,[br]even out of their own pockets.

0:10:04.460,0:10:08.421
Mother Teresa actually said:

0:10:08.445,0:10:13.302
"One cannot love,[br]unless it is at their own expense."

0:10:15.140,0:10:19.450
We have so much to do,[br]and we must do it together.

0:10:21.100,0:10:25.600
But how can we do that[br]with all the evil we breathe every day?

0:10:26.957,0:10:28.408
Thank God,

0:10:28.432,0:10:32.766
no system can nullify our desire[br]to open up to the good,

0:10:32.790,0:10:36.809
to compassion and to our capacity[br]to react against evil,

0:10:36.833,0:10:39.269
all of which stem[br]from deep within our hearts.

0:10:39.293,0:10:40.717
Now you might tell me,

0:10:40.741,0:10:42.436
"Sure, these are beautiful words,

0:10:42.460,0:10:47.198
but I am not the Good Samaritan,[br]nor Mother Teresa of Calcutta."

0:10:47.833,0:10:52.264
On the contrary: we are precious,[br]each and every one of us.

0:10:52.661,0:10:57.490
Each and every one of us[br]is irreplaceable in the eyes of God.

0:10:58.980,0:11:03.236
Through the darkness of today's conflicts,

0:11:03.260,0:11:07.796
each and every one of us[br]can become a bright candle,

0:11:07.820,0:11:11.978
a reminder that light[br]will overcome darkness,

0:11:12.900,0:11:15.190
and never the other way around.

0:11:16.557,0:11:21.113
To Christians,[br]the future does have a name,

0:11:21.877,0:11:24.017
and its name is Hope.

0:11:25.220,0:11:29.980
Feeling hopeful does not mean[br]to be optimistically naïve

0:11:31.100,0:11:36.700
and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing.

0:11:37.940,0:11:40.916
Hope is the virtue of a heart

0:11:40.940,0:11:45.996
that doesn't lock itself into darkness,[br]that doesn't dwell on the past,

0:11:46.020,0:11:51.380
does not simply get by in the present,[br]but is able to see a tomorrow.

0:11:52.500,0:11:55.156
Hope is the door[br]that opens onto the future.

0:11:55.180,0:12:00.436
Hope is a humble, hidden seed of life

0:12:00.460,0:12:04.700
that, with time,[br]will develop into a large tree.

0:12:05.780,0:12:11.180
It is like some invisible yeast[br]that allows the whole dough to grow,

0:12:11.980,0:12:14.180
that brings flavor to all aspects of life.

0:12:15.220,0:12:16.988
And it can do so much,

0:12:17.940,0:12:24.801
because a tiny flicker of light[br]that feeds on hope

0:12:25.531,0:12:29.340
is enough to shatter[br]the shield of darkness.

0:12:30.717,0:12:35.396
A single individual[br]is enough for hope to exist,

0:12:35.420,0:12:38.604
and that individual can be you.

0:12:39.980,0:12:45.194
And then there will be another "you,"[br]and another "you,"

0:12:46.282,0:12:48.583
and it turns into an "us."

0:12:49.238,0:12:53.495
And so, does hope begin[br]when we have an "us?"

0:12:53.519,0:12:54.663
No.

0:12:54.687,0:12:56.307
Hope began with one "you."

0:12:57.580,0:13:01.890
When there is an "us,"[br]there begins a revolution.

0:13:05.240,0:13:08.676
The third message[br]I would like to share today

0:13:08.700,0:13:13.940
is, indeed, about revolution:[br]the revolution of tenderness.

0:13:15.220,0:13:16.700
And what is tenderness?

0:13:17.980,0:13:21.156
It is the love that comes close[br]and becomes real.

0:13:21.180,0:13:23.356
It is a movement[br]that starts from our heart

0:13:23.380,0:13:27.060
and reaches the eyes,[br]the ears and the hands.

0:13:27.580,0:13:31.980
Tenderness means to use[br]our eyes to see the other,

0:13:32.540,0:13:35.321
our ears to hear the other,

0:13:35.345,0:13:41.629
to listen to the children, the poor,[br]those who are afraid of the future.

0:13:41.653,0:13:47.396
To listen also to the silent cry[br]of our common home,

0:13:47.420,0:13:49.540
of our sick and polluted earth.

0:13:50.740,0:13:55.860
Tenderness means to use[br]our hands and our heart

0:13:56.460,0:13:58.580
to comfort the other,

0:13:59.260,0:14:01.420
to take care of those in need.

0:14:02.900,0:14:07.286
Tenderness is the language[br]of the young children,

0:14:08.111,0:14:10.656
of those who need the other.

0:14:11.616,0:14:16.956
A child’s love for mom and dad

0:14:16.980,0:14:22.900
grows through their touch, their gaze,[br]their voice, their tenderness.

0:14:24.740,0:14:27.036
I like when I hear parents

0:14:27.060,0:14:31.860
talk to their babies,[br]adapting to the little child,

0:14:33.340,0:14:39.660
sharing the same level of communication.

0:14:41.340,0:14:46.740
This is tenderness:[br]being on the same level as the other.

0:14:48.100,0:14:54.620
God himself descended into Jesus[br]to be on our level.

0:14:55.540,0:14:58.140
This is the same path[br]the Good Samaritan took.

0:14:59.260,0:15:02.220
This is the path that Jesus himself took.

0:15:03.100,0:15:04.250
He lowered himself,

0:15:04.820,0:15:07.356
he lived his entire human existence

0:15:07.380,0:15:10.060
practicing the real,[br]concrete language of love.

0:15:12.300,0:15:15.756
Yes, tenderness is the path of choice

0:15:15.780,0:15:20.820
for the strongest,[br]most courageous men and women.

0:15:22.980,0:15:26.100
Tenderness is not weakness;[br]it is fortitude.

0:15:27.100,0:15:31.180
It is the path of solidarity,[br]the path of humility.

0:15:32.900,0:15:35.140
Please, allow me to say it loud and clear:

0:15:36.020,0:15:38.676
the more powerful you are,

0:15:38.700,0:15:42.660
the more your actions[br]will have an impact on people,

0:15:43.460,0:15:46.420
the more responsible you are[br]to act humbly.

0:15:48.380,0:15:54.980
If you don’t, your power will ruin you,[br]and you will ruin the other.

0:15:57.860,0:16:00.083
There is a saying in Argentina:

0:16:00.107,0:16:04.894
"Power is like drinking gin[br]on an empty stomach."

0:16:07.740,0:16:14.260
You feel dizzy, you get drunk,[br]you lose your balance,

0:16:14.900,0:16:19.180
and you will end up hurting yourself[br]and those around you,

0:16:20.380,0:16:24.460
if you don’t connect your power[br]with humility and tenderness.

0:16:27.580,0:16:31.500
Through humility and concrete love,[br]on the other hand,

0:16:32.292,0:16:39.164
power – the highest, the strongest one –[br]becomes a service, a force for good.

0:16:41.740,0:16:46.740
The future of humankind isn't exclusively[br]in the hands of politicians,

0:16:47.340,0:16:50.820
of great leaders, of big companies.

0:16:51.460,0:16:54.236
Yes, they do hold[br]an enormous responsibility.

0:16:54.260,0:16:59.076
But the future is, most of all,[br]in the hands of those people

0:16:59.100,0:17:02.593
who recognize the other as a "you"

0:17:03.086,0:17:06.271
and themselves as part of an "us."

0:17:08.019,0:17:10.220
We all need each other.

0:17:11.019,0:17:15.556
And so, please, think of me[br]as well with tenderness,

0:17:16.153,0:17:19.527
so that I can fulfill the task[br]I have been given

0:17:19.551,0:17:21.973
for the good of the other,

0:17:21.998,0:17:25.336
of each and every one, of all of you,

0:17:25.739,0:17:27.436
of all of us.

0:17:28.080,0:17:29.748
Thank you.