THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in Your Encyclical and It Has Truly Moved Me and Opened Up

Devin Brown
SLA 400 Setonian Seminar
November 10, 2023
Response to Laudato Si’
In the preface of Laudato Si’ Pope Francis walks us through past events which have caused
reaction from various peers of faith. There have been events such as nuclear crisis where Pope
Saint John XXIII expressed a rejection for war and a proposal for peace. There is another event
where Saint John Paul II wrote an encyclical where he called for global ecological conversion.
The cause for this piece was the continued destruction of our environment. Saint Francis also
expresses that the individual who inspired him to write this encyclical is Saint Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis states that Saint Francis “was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the
poor and outcast.” Saint Francis was a man who helped open others eyes to see that we must care
for all that exists and make as much of a change as possible while we are here. Pope Francis
concludes his preface that we must look at all of the issues with the encyclical and create a new
lifestyle to change our ways and create a better place for all beings to thrive. He also states that
these issues must continue to be addressed and dealt with again and again until they are resolved.
Pope Francis, I have read you section IV. DECLINE IN THE QUALITY OF HUMAN LIFE AND
THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in your encyclical and it has truly moved me and opened up
my mind to the changes that are taking place and that we need to fix the issues for the future. I
agree with your statement that “Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to
life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. So, we cannot fail to consider the effects
on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the
throwaway culture.” This statement rings so true to me in the current state of our world where
there are mass-produced products everywhere. People are so focused on getting the next new
thing or what is “current.” Our ideals have been so muddied over time that the youth of our
nation do not understand where true value lies. You also state “Many cities are huge, inefficient
structures, excessively wasteful of energy and water.” I feel that this is absolutely true where we
see these huge cities with large buildings and yet there are still people living on the street
because they cannot afford even the most inexpensive living spaces. These cities are built by
wealthy individuals and companies who have no care for the people or the community. You also
stated that these cities lack a sufficient environment to support our basic need for green and
industrialization free spaces. Cutting off humanity’s access to these green and beautiful spaces
lowers our ambition to live in an ethical and positive way. You also stated that some of the
things which have actually led to social decline and things like increased drug use are the very
things which were initially created to make our way of life better. The introduction of constant
media access and digital objects has caused our ability to think deeply and live wisely to
diminish. I agree with your proposal to try to use these media outlets as a way to promote new
cultural progress for humanity. I also agree that although the media can be a great tool it does
not provide the same benefit as in person interaction where you can feel a person’s emotions
more and make a better and deeper level of connection. I feel that this section of your
encyclical captured the full scope of these humanity issues which are currently plaguing our
communities. I also agree that it is up to everyone to do their part in trying to make it better
and use all of the channels available to us to do so.

In the video where Greta Thunberg is addressing climate change, she expresses that current
businesspeople are more concerned about economic growth rather than collapsing ecosystems
and creating change which will ensure the success of our future and planet rather than monetary
gains. I believe that this is very true and can be easily seen when there are individuals who are
more concerned about profits rather than the quality of life of their employees. The economy has
shifted greatly in the years since the pandemic where there has been a great increase in the
general cost of living, but businesses are still paying unlivable wages. I have seen many videos
where people are stating that they are making more than they ever have before, but they are still
struggling. I can directly relate to this. I am making twice the amount that I was making just 5
years ago, and I am still in just about the same position I was then due to the increase in the cost
of living. The government could intervene and raise the minimum wage, but they chose to do
nothing. Greta Thunberg calls out the damage that these businesses are doing to the environment
and that they should be greatly ashamed that they are leaving the issue of the aftermath of their
reckless industrial ways to be dealt with by the next generation. These businesses should be
ashamed, and their respective governments should be ashamed as well. It is going to take vast
action by millions of individuals to undo the damage that has been done and to implement
change. There are many who have begun to implement this change, but is it enough? We can
only hope that in the coming years the changes we are making will be enough. In the
documentary Our Planet: Our Business the narrator expresses that there are industries whose
practices are endangering the habitats, environments, and species on the planet we live. The film
does an amazing job showing us how beautiful our world is and that it is greatly important to do
everything we can to save and help these animals thrive. One of the actions that is threatening
species is overfishing. Luckily in the years since this video there have been laws and restrictions
that dictate fishing in many areas. These laws have helped to ensure the continuation of certain
species of fish and wildlife. It is going to take the continued work and determination of as many
people as possible to help our planet to remain a healthy and a thriving place to live for all living
organisms.
References:
Francis, S. (2015, June 18). Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015): Francis. Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015) |
Francis. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-
francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
NewsHour, P. (2019, September 23). Watch: Greta Thunberg’s full speech to world leaders at UN
Climate Action Summit. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJsdgTPJpU
Our planet: Our business. YouTube. (2019, June 27). https://youtu.be/JdWQJq2OkJs

THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in Your Encyclical and It Has Truly Moved Me and Opened Up

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in Your Encyclical and It Has Truly Moved Me and Opened Up

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in Your Encyclical and It Has Truly Moved Me and Opened Up

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Devin Brown

SLA 400 Setonian Seminar

November 10, 2023

Response to Laudato Si’

on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the

and use all of the channels available to us to do so.

Climate Action Summit. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJsdgTPJpU

Our planet: Our business. YouTube. (2019, June 27). https://youtu.be/JdWQJq2OkJs

You might also like