Tenderness

Pope Francis in one of his recent speeches said that we should not be afraid of Tenderness, that the planet should be treated with tenderness and the tenderness is revolutionary. But what is actually tenderness? First it must be said that the tenderness is not mere emotion and excitement of feeling towards the other. The Tenderness arises when the ego is put aside, the Self is recognized in the other, becomes the other. It ‘s always a bridge and never a wall. Is the opposite of Narcissus, for which the subject does not see himself in the mirror, but he realizes clearly and precisely who is the other. And he loves for what he/she is. It’s the means of higher knowledge. It defines us truly human, sharing the destiny of creation. And by the way there is also a statement of revolutionary Che Guevara who can inspire: “We must be strong without ever losing tenderness”.
If we look up at the dictionary Tenderness is synonymous of sweetness, kindness, sensibility, and compassion. It’s unique characteristic of childhood, which then over time, gives way to other attitudes deemed more appropriate and functional adulthood. In reality we often embarks on a journey that has lost sight of the origin and the destination, because the spirit of the tenderness is our true home. Perhaps only the artists are allowed to return children. On “Planet of Tenderness” there are no limits and boundaries, confined spaces that oppress the soul, because the view is wide open. The bodies floating in the air where communication is music. As Khalil Gibran reminds us, “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and determination.” Only who is strong can expresses tenderness, and it’s very difficult when we are afraid of our own feelings to expose our inner selves.
The distinction is that Blaise Pascal, helps us to understand well the tenderness distinguishes the “esprit de finesse” from ‘”esprit de géométries.” The esprit de finesse is the spirit of subtlety, sensitivity, care and tenderness. The spirit not only thinking and reasoning. It goes further, because it adds the ability to feel deeply, hence the art, creativity, and all those values ​​for which it is really worth living, to use time and energy. The esprit de géométrie is the spirit of power. And where there is power there is no desire exclusive tenderness or love. Ours is a culture of “geometric”, with a large accumulation of information but little wisdom, with too many destructive devices, shown by the media, by altered communication which aims to feed negativity and that takes us away from our true nature. Life and love can be fragile. There is only one invincible power, that feeds an saves us and that is Tenderness.

Stefania Carrozzini