Francis shows real power with his acts of humility
Pope Francis’ surprise videotaped TED Talk on Wednesday had many memorable lines, perhaps none more so than his call for a “revolution of tenderness”.
He suggested that the conference’s tech leaders, investors, journalists and academics consider “how wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us”.
And he issued a warning, not only for the influential folks in the room but also the politicians and leaders in power around the world: “Please, allow me to say it loud and clear,” the pontiff said firmly, deliberately. “The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other.”
Yet for all the notable lines in the nearly 18- minute remarks, what he did at the end of the talk may have been even more powerful. As he finished, Francis served up a reminder of what humble leadership looks like. “And so, please, think of me as well with tenderness,” he said to those in the audience, “so that I can fulfil the task I have been given, for the good of the other, of each and every one, of all of you.”
In case you missed it, here is the most powerful man in the Catholic Church, humbly asking a bunch of TED conference attendees to Try the first week for free to see if you like it! Introductory Course one meeting a week for nine weeks, Auckland Hamilton For dates and times see: keep him in their thoughts, seeking their help as he goes about his work.
That kind of role- modelling helps underscore his message in a world that still muddles authority with leadership and conflates power with muscle- flexing. It offers an example for a world where an American president — one who never apologises and mostly speaks in boastful superlatives — campaigned that “I alone can fix it” and considers “strong control” evidence of a better leader. It’s an immediate illustration of what humility in leadership looks like.
In the TED talk, his words about power were powerful, yes. He shared a relatable saying from Argentina: “Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach. You feel dizzy, you get drunk. You lose your balance.” He reminded the people in the room that: “The future of humankind is not exclusively in the power of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies.
“Yes, they do hold enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognise the other as a you and themselves as part of an us.”
But by showing his audience what that actually looks like — by asking them as he closed to keep him in their thoughts as he, the world’s most influential Catholic leader, tries to fulfil his task — his words became actions that were even more powerful. www. philosophy. school. nz | General inquiries: 0800 610 539 School of Philosophy Auckland Inc.