Pope Francis points out in the excerpt from Evangelii Guaidum that “[w]e have created a ‘throw away’ culture which is now spreading” (pp. 53). Thus, such culture is creating a sense of omission where “those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised—they are no longer even a part of it” (pp. 53). As a result, the very themes highlighted previously which are vital to the common good are being veiled by a consumer society that heeds no attention to the true value of human beings. Instead, attitudes that encompass compassion and kinship are being discarded by cultures that commend the collective few and ignore the marginalized. Such distorted perceptions are also responsible for “creating an even wider and more troubling achievement gap” between the successful and the struggling students in society (Dunlop, 18). Thus, the materialistic culture developed today is also gauging the way in which future generations are prospering; undeniably, the affluent are excelling and the minorities tend to be falling behind. This division is fostering the very oppressive nature that threatens the common …show more content…
After all, to be a human person means to be vulnerable and easily misguided. Jean Vanier’s interview on “The Wisdom of Tenderness” supports the notion by stating that “we don’t know what to do with our own pain, so what to do with the pain of others? We don’t know what to do with our own weaknesses except hide it or pretend I doesn’t exist.” (2). Thus, Vanier explains that humans are vulnerable people who must first learn to accept themselves before they learn to accept others. Furthermore, being human means being incapable of accepting the unappealing, nonconforming aspects of ourselves and being unable to display these aspects to the rest of society. As flawed individuals, the communal belief that they must be perfect is also the barrier that prevents them from accepting their true identities. However, this results in individuals continuing to “despise people until [they] have recognized, loved, and accepted what is despicable in [themselves]” (2). Thus, this reality is a truth that haunts many, as they struggle to accept their mortal nature. There are times when I struggle to understand and accept others whom I do not understand. Coerced by social influences, I am often misguided in my perception of others, especially those who are very different than me. However, as Vanier proves, “Catholicism is an openness” (5). Thus, faith guides me to see the faults within myself and