1 Oct 2024 | Idea of the Month
“Service” is a word that may seem old-fashioned in certain contexts. Servitude is certainly
unworthy of human beings when it is imposed or endured because of poverty or discrimination.
Instead, the “spirit of service,” especially when it is reciprocal in a community of any kind, is
a witness to changing social relationships that break down old patterns of behaviour and new
power structures. Indeed, service lived with humility characterizes protagonists of real progress.
Nitin Nohria, former dean of Harvard Business School, says that in the future, being a good leader will require learning about humility. He believes this “future” has already begun. According to him, humility will have to become a key word in the profiles of the next generation of aspiring managers andhe does not lack experience in this field. He says this because he realizes that the current trend of being increasingly competitive is producing results completely opposite to expectations. It is creating people who are psychologically fragile, needy, narcissistic and obsessed with appearance (1).
After all, great women and men are recognized through their small actions, just as ancient Eastern wisdom reminds us: “The largest tree is born from a small shoot. The tallest tower is born from a mound of earth. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (2)
Living this way requires a conscious and free choice: it demands that we do not liveclosed in on ourselves and our own interests, but that we“live the other”,and feel whatever they feel, carry their burdens and share their joys. We all have responsibilities, bothlarge or small, and areas of authority. They may be in the political or social fields or within our family, school or community. Let us take advantage of our “places of honour” to put ourselves at the service of the common good, building just and supportive human relationships.
This is also how Igino Giordani, writer, journalist, politician and family man, lived during a time marked by dictatorship. To describe his experience, he wrote: ‘Politics is – in the most dignified
Christian sense – a “servant” and must not become a “master”: nor should it abuse, dominate or dictate. Its function and dignity is to be of service to society, to be charity (3) in action, to be the highest form of love for one’s homeland.
It was probably the personal relationship that Chiara Lubich had with this man who was
rooted in his time but also saw beyond its barriers and walls that led her to remind usmore than
once that true politics is “the Love of Loves,” because it is the means of the most authentic and
disinterested service to humanity in fraternity.
(1) Michele Genisio “Umiltà” (in press)
(2) Daodejing,64
(3) Giordani uses the word charity not in the ‘welfare’ sense, as it is usually understood, but in the Christian sense, which indicates the highest form of love.
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THE IDEA OF THE MONTH iscurrentlyproduced by the Focolare Movement’s “Centre for Dialogue with People of NonreligiousBeliefs”. It is an initiative that began in 2014 in Uruguay to share with non-believing friends the values of the Word of Life, i.e. the phrase from Scripture that members of the Movement strive to put into practice in their daily lives. Currently, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text according to different cultural sensitivities. https://dialogue4unity.focolare.org/en/
1 Sep 2024 | Idea of the Month
We have probably experienced how, at times, even though there are ideas and beliefs that lie deeply in our hearts and consciences, it is difficult to put them into action. It may help us to live an inspirational thought each day and know that other people all over the world are doing the same. We will not feel alone but part of a worldwide network. This was the intention that led to the development of the Idea of the Month: it was initiated by a few people in Uruguay who were passionate about dialogue and the ideal of unity.
This practice led to groups developing all over the world for people who want to reflect upon the Idea of the Month and share experiences of living it. Infact, in many places, these monthly meetings have become the norm. Could this become just a habit? Could the Idea become simply an all-encompassing good precept that is disseminated online like so many others on virtual groups? Certainly this is the biggest risk for initiatives of this kind. However, it is important that we do not settle for empty words and repeated platitudes. The English have the proverb: ‘Actions speak louder than words’. In the Netherlands, there is the saying: ‘Talk does not fill holes’. These expressions do not come about simply by chance. We can,however remember there is a word that guards against the risk of this happening and that word is ‘consistency’.
In the book entitled The Book Of Joy, the dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu [1] highlights some points that can help us to live with consistency. First of all, we can listen to our consciences. Each person can assess what is their heart’s desire because this will almost certainly be linked to those human values that give a sense of happiness. We can also ask ourselves if what we want is just for ourselves or will it benefit others too? Will it serve a small number or many people? Now or in the future? When we have thought about these matters, we can formulate an intention for the day, with practical commitments even if they are small. For example, “Today I want to greet everyone; today I will be less judgmental; today I will be more patient…”
But how do you find the courage to follow your conscience? You need to speak to wise people about your ideas and try them out whilst remaining open to the possibility of being wrong. When you finally reach a mature decision, you can begin to put it into practice together but then regularly take time to reassess, renew and strengthen goals. You should not let setbacks, lack of cooperation or established but unhelpful habits put you off track and lose sight of what you hope to achieve.
This was seen in the actions of Piero Taiti when he began to know the Focolare Movement. He was truly a man of dialogue. This was seen in the many journeys he made to the little town of Fontem in Africa and in the personal relationship he built with the ‘focolarini’ for whom he held great respect. He saw that they were people whose actions came before their words and who worked with open minds alongside people, like him, who did not share their faith. He later found that his friendship with Chiara Lubich was a point of deep encounter and sharing of profoundly human values. Until the end of his life, Piero’s actions demonstrated and transmitted the power of this encounter in all areas of his life – as a family man, husband, doctor, politician and trusted friend of so many who recognised his moral calibre.
Not words, but actions. This gives energy to a person and makes them happy within. Living this way, we serve our neighbours.
[1]The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abram published in 2016 by Cornerstone Publishers
THE IDEA OF THE MONTH, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is currently produced by the Focolare Movement’s ‘Centre for Dialogue with People of Non-religious Beliefs’. It is an initiative born in 2014 in Uruguay to share with non-believing friends the values of the Word of Life, i.e. the phrase from Scripture that members of the Movement strive to put into practice in their daily lives. Currently THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text to different cultural sensitivities. www. dialogue4unity.focolare.org
1 Aug 2024 | Idea of the Month, Non categorizzato
Change can be frightening especially when the past has been filled with deep and rewarding experiences. However, change happens at all different stages and areas of life – study, work and in all political, social and organizational realities. We may find it especially difficult if we have had a role of responsibility that we do not want to lose.
We would like certain experiences to continue forever. But this is not reality. Remaining lost in “true and beautiful experiences” does not make us live life now, because life itself is change and that is the dynamic that makes it fascinating even when it is difficult and painful.
This was well explained by Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the first modern hospice. She was an extraordinary woman who as a nurse, social worker and physician “invented” a new way of caring for people during the most difficult periods of their lives. According to her, real experience depends on depth rather than duration. “The hours of real relationships seem to pass in a moment, while the boring days seem to last forever. But years later, the genuine times remain forever imprinted in our hearts whereas the meaningless days fade into nothing.” (1)
Sometimes, there is a sense of awe and excitement in realising that these “true and genuine” moments – even when they are filled with pain and darkness – can be transformed into opportunities for peace and light. During times of passage in life, deep relationships with others can give us the strength to face the difficulties, trials, sufferings and stress we encounter on the way. They encourage us to start anew without fear and boldly face what lies ahead. They enable us to reach out to others and embrace the pains of humanity around us: they even enable us to bring the light and peace we know to others who do not experience it.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Time lost is when we have not loved and lived a fully human life.”(2)
What happens when these true experiences finish and seem to disappear? Does this take away the value of the experience at its very roots? Absolutely not! Memory has a great worth of its own and is the very foundation of human progress. Moreover, as philosopher, George Santayana, says, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
People before us have given their lives for our freedom and happiness. We need to return to the experiences that lie at the foundation of our personal lives and the groups to which we belong in order to have the strength to always begin again, even in times of doubt, fragility and weariness.
- Cicely Saunders. Templeton Prize 1981
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “Resistance and Surrender” Letters and Other Writings from Prison
Phot by Sasin Tipchai – Pixabay
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L’IDEA DEL MESE è attualmente prodotta dal “Centro del Dialogo con persone di convinzioni non religiose” del Movimento dei Focolari. Si tratta di un’iniziativa nata nel 2014 in Uruguay per condividere con gli amici non credenti i valori della Parola di Vita, cioè la frase della Scrittura che i membri del Movimento si impegnano a mettere in atto nella vita quotidiana. Attualmente L’IDEA DEL MESE viene tradotta in 12 lingue e distribuita in più di 25 paesi, con adattamenti del testo alle diverse sensibilità culturali. www. dialogue4unity.focolare.org1
