To Nina, from the Amazon, and to all children in the world

To Nina, from the Amazon, and to all children in the world

Neither challenges, difficulties, doubts nor fear, stamped in the eyes and in the most intimate of our being, could be greater in the present times we live in. Preserving a remnant of strength is the greatest challenge, while fragility prevails against our will. Intuition and our instinct for self-preservation warn us, nonetheless, that too much attention to what is already fragile, results in even greater weakening! In order to finding a way out of this situation, looking up to the sky and seeking connection with what truly matters is key. But is this really the only way out of this scenario?

According to Matthew (18), Jesus was asked “Who is perhaps the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He then invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew, 18)

Jesus knows this recurring play of scene and is ready to deal with it. He seeks elements that people can relate to and that are able to reorganize people's imagination. For this purpose, he puts a child in the center of attention.

If this dialogue was to happen today, Jesus could possibly choose Nina, one of the little girls from the Amazon, in order to get his message across. Would he do it in order to gather the attention of social networks? No, he would not, although his attitude would look odd before the eyes of adults.

Some human attitudes and reactions remain the same over the years. Thus, the dialogue in Matthew's biblical text cited above remains relevant. The anxious search for authority, on Earth and even in heaven, even amid the most delicate and serious moments, leads to a prevailing narrow logic. Such logic, imposes, orders and omits things which, in the present, were already far from being reasonable and fair in the past. Therefore, even crucial issues such as the protection of the Amazon, are made vulnerable and powerless given such prevailing narrow logic.

Today's life has proved to be even more fragile after the digital revolution. The enormous gridlocks experienced today will give rise to new and inevitable challenges in the future.

Where should we thus invest our efforts? Where should we start? Supporting initiatives such as the one promoted by Sebastião Salgado, one of the greatest Brazilian artists of all times, together with Lélia Wanick Salgado, is a good way to start.

Thank you, Sebastião Salgado!

Hermann Wille