Public Talk
Universal Responsibility
On Sunday afternoon, April 18, 2004 His Holiness gave a Public Talk, entitled "Universal Responsibility," at the Pacific Coliseum,
to a capacity audience of 12,500. The event, organized by the Tibetan Cultural Society of British Columbia, was emceed by
Tsewang C. Tethong. It opened with a spirited welcome by His Holiness’ long-time friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
"Universal Responsibility" has been one of His Holiness’ most popular topics in recent years. The concept, placed in
secular context, flows directly from his spiritual messages of peace, compassion and non-violence. His Holiness emphasized
that every individual needs to bear spiritual, political and social responsibility for making this world a better place. A
peaceful and harmonious world cannot be achieved without the recognition that all human beings, and the earth that sustains
them, are interdependent. In the modern world, interdependence is everywhere evident. Nations and continents are connected
by technology. Borders have decreasing significance. Under these circumstances, His Holiness urged, we need a sense of global
responsibility and wider, more holistic thinking.
His Holiness went on to explain that happiness of the individual depends on the community, because human beings are social
animals. Narrow-minded, short-sighted or self-centered attitudes create perceptions of the world that are unrealistic, distorted;
they result in exploitation, bullying and other destructive actions that are suicidal for a society.
To a resounding applause, His Holiness stated that the concept of war is out of date. Negative emotions such as hatred always
seek an independent target but, if we see everything in holistic perspective, there is no independent target. Everything is
interconnected. Today’s problems are the result of thousands of complex factors, both current ones and historical ones.
Genuine dialogue is key to knowing what is good for the other and to coming to compromise for mutual benefit.
Moral education used to be guided by Church and family structures. How do we keep our moral ethics in modern society? If we
believe in religion, His Holiness stressed, the religious concept should be sincere, humane and reflected in our daily lives.
If we do not believe in religion, we should be mindful of scientific evidence that human affection and caring creates more
compassionate, stable and peaceful adults, and societies. Keeping the mind vast and open allows us to see our own problems
in perspective and, from there, to understand what is meant by global or universal responsibility.
Click to see Vídeo
|
