Here is one of the most powerful and poignant lectures delivered eloquently by the inimitable Dr Shashi Tharoor in honour of Desmond Tutu's legacy of justice, compassion and ubuntu.
He reminds us of Tutu's moral consistency in the face of competing ideologies, religious intolerance, and selective outrage or praise. He reminds us of how faith can both heal and harm, and calls for enlightened interfaith collaboration. He defends the UN and multilateralism while recognising the need for their renewal. He cites the exemplary manner in which Tutu chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which respected the humanity of both perpetrators and victims while pursuing justice and peace.
I so wish that the world's xenophobic leaders would listen to this lecture and feel inspired to change their narcissistic ways.
He reminds us of Tutu's moral consistency in the face of competing ideologies, religious intolerance, and selective outrage or praise. He reminds us of how faith can both heal and harm, and calls for enlightened interfaith collaboration. He defends the UN and multilateralism while recognising the need for their renewal. He cites the exemplary manner in which Tutu chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which respected the humanity of both perpetrators and victims while pursuing justice and peace.
I so wish that the world's xenophobic leaders would listen to this lecture and feel inspired to change their narcissistic ways.
Kul
Dr. Shashi Tharoor's address at the 15th Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture is a profound reflection on the moral courage and universal compassion of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, urging the audience to adopt his vision to address the world's current conflicts and deepening polarization.
Key Themes from the Lecture
1. The Universal Conscience of Desmond Tutu Dr. Tharoor emphasizes that Tutu's legacy extended far beyond dismantling apartheid, encompassing a universal moral fight against all systems that deny human dignity [
03:06:00].
Radical Compassion: Tutu stood unflinchingly for women's equality, the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, environmental protection, and the oppressed in Palestine [
03:15:00].
Faith for Liberation: He challenged theological complacency, notably stating, "I will not worship a homophobic god" [
03:57:00]. Tutu believed that faith must be a force for liberation, not exclusion, and that the divine cannot be confined by doctrine, as explored in his book, God is not a Christian [
04:50:00].
Ubuntu: At the heart of his philosophy was the African principle of Ubuntu—"I am because you are"—which insists that human destinies are intertwined and that our flourishing depends on the flourishing of others [
05:17:00].
2. The Call for Moral Imagination Tharoor stresses the urgency of developing "moral imagination"—the capacity to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be, and the courage to envision reconciliation where others only see revenge [
10:48:00].
The Cost of Division: He warns that division is "the most expensive tax we pay," which leads to an erosion of trust and a deep "poverty of spirit, a poverty of ethics, a poverty of shared purpose" [
11:49:00].
Reclaiming Morality: To rediscover moral imagination, societies must reclaim the sacredness of the other (speaking to enemies, not just friends) [
13:10:00], cultivate spaces of encounter [
13:51:00], and tell the truth, as silence is complicity and denial is violence [
14:30:00].
3. From Tolerance to Acceptance in Faith Drawing on his Hindu heritage, Tharoor introduces the concept of Sarva Dharma Samhava ("all religions are equal") [
19:19:00] and calls for a shift from tolerance to acceptance.
Acceptance is Essential: He argues that tolerance is a patronizing idea, implying, "I have the truth, you are in error, but I will magnanimously indulge you" [
18:07:00]. He proposes that we must instead replace it with acceptance, which means respecting another's truth and recognizing that faith should be a bridge that unites, not a barrier that excludes [
18:27:00].
4. Moral Consistency and Hope Tharoor praises Tutu's "moral consistency," noting his refusal to tailor his conscience to the times and his insistence on justice regardless of a cause's popularity [24:27:00].
Challenging Double Standards: He argues that peace cannot be built on double standards, and that neutrality in the face of injustice is complicity [25:05:00]. He reaffirms the United Nations' role as an indispensable symbol of possibility and a means to "save humanity from hell" [28:42:00].
Defiant Realism: The address concludes with a call to action to reclaim hope, describing it not as "starry-eyed optimism but as defiant realism" [34:03:00]—a stubborn belief that the world can be remade, urging the audience to be the "builders of bridges" and the "healers of wounds" [36:37:00].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QfSaocLPNU
Dr. Shashi Tharoor's address at the 15th Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture is a profound reflection on the moral courage and universal compassion of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, urging the audience to adopt his vision to address the world's current conflicts and deepening polarization.
Key Themes from the Lecture
1. The Universal Conscience of Desmond Tutu Dr. Tharoor emphasizes that Tutu's legacy extended far beyond dismantling apartheid, encompassing a universal moral fight against all systems that deny human dignity [
03:06:00].
Radical Compassion: Tutu stood unflinchingly for women's equality, the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, environmental protection, and the oppressed in Palestine [
03:15:00].
Faith for Liberation: He challenged theological complacency, notably stating, "I will not worship a homophobic god" [
03:57:00]. Tutu believed that faith must be a force for liberation, not exclusion, and that the divine cannot be confined by doctrine, as explored in his book, God is not a Christian [
04:50:00].
Ubuntu: At the heart of his philosophy was the African principle of Ubuntu—"I am because you are"—which insists that human destinies are intertwined and that our flourishing depends on the flourishing of others [
05:17:00].
2. The Call for Moral Imagination Tharoor stresses the urgency of developing "moral imagination"—the capacity to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be, and the courage to envision reconciliation where others only see revenge [
10:48:00].
The Cost of Division: He warns that division is "the most expensive tax we pay," which leads to an erosion of trust and a deep "poverty of spirit, a poverty of ethics, a poverty of shared purpose" [
11:49:00].
Reclaiming Morality: To rediscover moral imagination, societies must reclaim the sacredness of the other (speaking to enemies, not just friends) [
13:10:00], cultivate spaces of encounter [
13:51:00], and tell the truth, as silence is complicity and denial is violence [
14:30:00].
3. From Tolerance to Acceptance in Faith Drawing on his Hindu heritage, Tharoor introduces the concept of Sarva Dharma Samhava ("all religions are equal") [
19:19:00] and calls for a shift from tolerance to acceptance.
Acceptance is Essential: He argues that tolerance is a patronizing idea, implying, "I have the truth, you are in error, but I will magnanimously indulge you" [
18:07:00]. He proposes that we must instead replace it with acceptance, which means respecting another's truth and recognizing that faith should be a bridge that unites, not a barrier that excludes [
18:27:00].
4. Moral Consistency and Hope Tharoor praises Tutu's "moral consistency," noting his refusal to tailor his conscience to the times and his insistence on justice regardless of a cause's popularity [24:27:00].
Challenging Double Standards: He argues that peace cannot be built on double standards, and that neutrality in the face of injustice is complicity [25:05:00]. He reaffirms the United Nations' role as an indispensable symbol of possibility and a means to "save humanity from hell" [28:42:00].
Defiant Realism: The address concludes with a call to action to reclaim hope, describing it not as "starry-eyed optimism but as defiant realism" [34:03:00]—a stubborn belief that the world can be remade, urging the audience to be the "builders of bridges" and the "healers of wounds" [36:37:00].
Slam, Bang, Boom ! Haven’t heard anything like this in ages.
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