Fear is one of the greatest enemies of human civilization

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.088 --> 00:00:06.398
Fear is one of the greatest
enemies of human civilization.

2
00:00:07.309 --> 00:00:09.664
Perhaps it was necessary

3
00:00:10.544 --> 00:00:16.374
initially when we developed as
human beings in order to survive.

4
00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.031
But I think we reached a point

5
00:00:20.056 --> 00:00:27.625
where fear is not our
friend any longer.

6
00:00:27.650 --> 00:00:29.984
It will not save us any longer.

7
00:00:30.009 --> 00:00:34.828
It will work the other way
around: fear to the diversity,

8
00:00:34.853 --> 00:00:37.523
fear to different really
good religious group,

9
00:00:37.548 --> 00:00:41.265
fear to people of different
sexual orientation,

10
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:45.133
fear to people of color and fear
of people of different races.

11
00:00:45.158 --> 00:00:46.851
It is all there.

12
00:00:46.876 --> 00:00:51.102
And therefore if religion
has any purpose left,

13
00:00:51.898 --> 00:00:54.468
this is to fight fears.

14
00:00:54.493 --> 00:00:58.961
And if you carefully
read the Gospels

15
00:00:58.986 --> 00:01:03.141
they say something that is very

16
00:01:03.166 --> 00:01:06.633
very conspicuous in the life
of Jesus.

17
00:01:06.658 --> 00:01:10.586
He always speaks, "Fear not."

18
00:01:10.611 --> 00:01:17.695
And when he encounters with his
disciples after the resurrection,

19
00:01:17.720 --> 00:01:21.800
the first thing he says
to them is fear not.

20
00:01:21.825 --> 00:01:27.947
And I think it is very important
to be aware of dangers of fear

21
00:01:27.972 --> 00:01:34.821
and fight it by encountering
people who we are afraid of,

22
00:01:35.085 --> 00:01:38.736
by showing love
and compassion to them,

23
00:01:38.761 --> 00:01:42.267
have an encounter with them,
have a talk with them,

24
00:01:42.292 --> 00:01:46.806
have a chance to listen to them
and have them listen to you.

25
00:01:46.831 --> 00:01:50.345
This is the best remedy
of the fear.

26
00:01:50.370 --> 00:01:54.275
I think this is the only
way to deal with fear.

27
00:01:55.062 --> 00:01:58.728
The prayer will not help
you to go to a cell

28
00:01:58.753 --> 00:02:03.759
in a monastery or somewhere pray
to get rid of it. It does not help.

29
00:02:03.784 --> 00:02:07.283
And I should admit
I can well remember

30
00:02:07.308 --> 00:02:12.056
my journey from Tbilisi
to the refugee camp

31
00:02:12.081 --> 00:02:14.650
where Chechens were located.

32
00:02:14.675 --> 00:02:20.650
I had all sorts of phobias
about Chechens.

33
00:02:20.675 --> 00:02:23.478
I can still remember
this strong feeling

34
00:02:23.503 --> 00:02:27.393
and even when we got almost
there I was ready to come back

35
00:02:27.408 --> 00:02:29.245
without meeting them.

36
00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:32.353
But it took just a few seconds.

37
00:02:32.378 --> 00:02:37.728
When we met people who had
just come through the mountains

38
00:02:37.753 --> 00:02:42.769
who had seen the death
with their own eyes

39
00:02:42.794 --> 00:02:45.660
when we saw their tears

40
00:02:45.685 --> 00:02:48.511
and I think it was enough
to realize that

41
00:02:48.536 --> 00:02:53.687
we are all human beings
and we need to get rid of fears

42
00:02:53.712 --> 00:02:58.510
that have been implanted into
our minds by our cultures

43
00:02:58.535 --> 00:03:00.340
by our traditions

44
00:03:00.365 --> 00:03:04.169
by historical circumstances

45
00:03:04.194 --> 00:03:08.442
or I am very afraid, I am very
sorry to say by religion.

46
00:03:08.467 --> 00:03:13.794
Very often the religion has been
an instrument

47
00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:17.799
of imposing fears on the faithful

48
00:03:17.824 --> 00:03:24.059
which is a betrayal in my view
of the whole concept of religion

49
00:03:24.084 --> 00:03:28.877
because religion is meant to
help people to get rid of fear.

50
00:03:29.818 --> 00:03:35.220
But often time we see
religion does not do the job.

51
00:03:35.245 --> 00:03:43.210
It implants fear in the faithful
who come to listen to them

52
00:03:43.235 --> 00:03:46.439
in the name of God.

53
00:03:46.464 --> 00:03:51.072
But what we give to them very
often is not the message from God.

54
00:03:51.097 --> 00:03:53.392
It's not a message about acceptance.

55
00:03:53.406 --> 00:03:58.883
It's not a message about
love or peace.

56
00:03:58.908 --> 00:04:01.375
It's a message of fear.

57
00:04:01.961 --> 00:04:04.203
And I'm afraid

58
00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:14.165
in a religious setting it
works very well because you can

59
00:04:14.190 --> 00:04:20.069
get better organized if you
impose fear above the faithful

60
00:04:20.094 --> 00:04:22.536
or the congregation the people.

61
00:04:22.561 --> 00:04:25.272
And it is easy to control them

62
00:04:25.297 --> 00:04:27.192
once you have managed to

63
00:04:27.217 --> 00:04:31.844
impose fear in their minds
and in their hearts.