“True solidarity—though it begins with an acknowledgment of the equal worth of the other— comes to fulfillment only when I willingly place my life at the service of others…As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbours but does not make us brothers and sisters” (Pope Benedict XVI, 2008).
Yesterday, 20 December, the world observed International Human Solidarity Day. As the UN states, it is:
“a day to celebrate our unity in diversity; a day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements; a day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity; a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication; a day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.
“…in the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable…the concept of solidarity is promoted as crucial in the fight against poverty and in the involvement of all relevant stakeholders” (UN).
We should take heed of reports such as the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects: October 2019 Briefing, No. 131. The section on Latin America and the Caribbean highlights the fact that “poverty rates have been rising amid weak economic conditions.” Do we see the “importance of promoting social and labour market inclusion, while also expanding income redistribution measures”?
Christmas day is only a few days away. The time is ripe for all of us to stand in solidarity with those who have lost their jobs, those on the margins of society, individuals and families in need, including migrants and refugees. Have a heart; let our consciences move us to reach out in love and compassion to our “neighbour”.
Pope Francis has said: “We are called to live not as one without others, above or against others, but with and for others.” We are called to build the common good; to stand against injustice and strive to build a just society and world; to strengthen community. We can do so by committing to stand together in solidarity with each other.
Are we reading the signs of the times? He has said that: “The many situations of inequality, poverty and injustice, are signs not only of a profound lack of fraternity, but also of the absence of a culture of solidarity. New ideologies, characterized by rampant individualism, egocentrism and materialistic consumerism, weaken social bonds, fuelling that ‘throw away’ mentality which leads to contempt for, and the abandonment of, the weakest and those considered ‘useless’. In this way human coexistence increasingly tends to resemble a mere do ut des which is both pragmatic and selfish.”
On World Food Day he reminded us to “educate ourselves in solidarity, to rediscover the value and meaning of this very uncomfortable word, which oftentimes has been left aside, and to make it become a basic attitude in decisions made at the political, economic and financial levels, in relationships between persons, peoples and nations.
“It is only in standing firmly united, by overcoming selfish ways of thinking and partisan interests, that the objective of eliminating forms of indigence determined by a lack of food will also be achieved. A solidarity that is not reduced to different forms of welfare, but which makes an effort to ensure that an ever greater number of persons are economically independent. Many steps have been taken in different countries, but we are still far from a world where all can live with dignity.”
He reminds us that solidarity “is a word that means much more than some acts of sporadic generosity. It is to think and to act in terms of community, of the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few. It is also to fight against the structural causes of poverty, inequality, lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labour rights. It is to confront the destructive effects of the empire of money: forced displacements, painful emigrations, the traffic of persons, drugs, war, violence and all those realities that many of you suffer and that we are all called to transform. Solidarity, understood in its deepest sense, is a way of making history…”
And remember, that “the virtue of solidarity goes beyond material goods” it includes “the spiritual goods of the faith…” (CCC1942). It is small gestures that will help us to make solidarity an integral part of our daily lives.
First Published in Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Newspapers
