On Friday, February 12th, a special Conference took place when Brazilian theologian and Earth Charter Commissioner Leonardo Boff gave a speech at the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development in Costa Rica, Mr. Boff gave an inspiring and insight talk in Spanish about the moral aspects of sustainability, the Pope’s Encyclical, and the Earth Charter.
“Something interesting that can be found in the encyclical and in the Earth Charter is the emphasis on not only using instrumental reason, which is analytical, but also kind reason… the pain of the earth has to be considered our pain, the pain of people must be our pain …. we need to articulate the cry of the earth with the cry of the poor … the pain of the people must be our pain …. Modern culture is cynical and merciless, does not know how to cry (feel) because it has no compassion. Compassion means putting oneself in the place of others, to feel with the other, from the other …. compassion has two dimensions, the first is respecting each other and not to invading the space of others, and the second is picking up those who have fallen and helping them…”
The talk was attended by approximately 100 people with several more listening in online. You can watch the speech (in Spanish only) below.
The event was followed by a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the occasion and to launch the 2016 ECI Communication slogan “Sowing a Culture of Peace”. The tree planted was a Roble Sabana or Savannah Oak, a neotropical tree found from Mexico to Ecuador.