Has the world grown heartless? At a time of global turmoil that has engulfed both the developed and the developing worlds, Pope Francis reflected on this in his fourth encyclical that was released on Thursday. Coming at a time when there are wars raging in Ukraine and West Asia, refugee crises unfolding across continents, and global warming causing unforeseen climate disasters, Pope Francis’s words ring especially true.
The fourth encyclical, titled ‘Dilexit Nos’, or Latin for ‘He Loves Us’, coincided with the 350th anniversary of St Margaret Mary Alocoque's first apparition, which helped spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus revealing his love of humanity. In the encyclical, Pope Francis speaks about: “wars, socio-economic disparities and the uses of technology that threaten our humanity… When we witness the outbreak of new wars, with the complicity, tolerance or indifference of other countries, or petty power struggles over partisan interests, we may be tempted to conclude that our world is losing its heart.” He also makes a reference to the advent of AI and how algorithms showed that “our thoughts and will are much more uniform than we had previously thought. They are easily predictable and thus capable of being manipulated.” He also talks about how modern lives are “dominated by the hectic pace and bombarded by technology”.
The raft of issues that Pope Francis addresses in his encyclical are relevant not only on a global scale but all around us as well. Even within the country and in Goa there are multiple instances that the world is, indeed, losing its heart. His words hit home when we take into account the rapid changes on the technological front. Multiple scams impersonating people using AI and voice cloning have robbed people of their savings, many of them senior citizens with low digital literacy. They have been duped into parting with their hard-earned money by scamsters who have pretended to be their near and dear ones.
On a daily basis, our roads and transport systems are witness to accidents that leave people injured – often critically. But they are left to suffer on the roadside as citizens busy with their own lives hurry past. Instances of road rage have gone up; people often come to exchanging physical blows in an argument. The lack of patience, civility and decency in our civic lives is a clear reminder that people are losing their heart.
Within Goa, a State known for its age-old gentleness and kindness among residents, there are indications that life is changing very fast and the space for showing love and decency is shrinking. The tale of Kushawati Gaonkar, highlighted recently in the media, is a case in point. The Sanguem senior citizen lost her Griha Aadhar benefits due to a confusion arising out of the fact that she shared her name with another villager. But in five years, and after multiple rounds of different government departments, her Griha Aadhar benefits have not been restored and the poor woman is left to fend for herself by growing and selling vegetables.
On a larger scale, there are constant attempts to buy out land in Goa, which offers lucrative prospects for building projects. In the ‘gold rush’ for land, environmental laws are bent, greenery is destroyed, hills and forests are cut and water resources polluted. The heartlessness of this rapacious commercial pursuit is quite staggering, but what is even more worrisome is the naked greed that drives this. Fortunately, Goans from across the state have shown that they will not be cowed by the moneybags and they have banded together to protect their ancestral land, life and value systems. The fightback requires resilience and courage, and Goans have shown that they have ample reserves of both.
What then will save the people from this rampant display of heartlessness? Pope Francis’s words show the way. “The most decisive question we can ask is, 'Do I have a heart?’” he wrote. “Amid the devastation brought by evil, the heart of Christ desires that we cooperate with him in restoring goodness and beauty to our world.” Also, he stresses on the need for “poetry and love” as necessary factors to save humanity – and not just reason and technology. Love can be a binding factor that connects people with other living beings, and it is the thread with which the very fabric of humanity is woven. To lose love is to tear that fabric and become heartless. Pope Francis reminds us that Christ’s message of love is particularly important at this time to ensure that we do not lose our heart – and our humanity.