TED2017
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: How we can face the future without fear, together
Filmed:
Readability: 4
1,862,818 views
It's a fateful moment in history. We've seen divisive elections, divided societies and the growth of extremism -- all fueled by anxiety and uncertainty. "Is there something we can do, each of us, to be able to face the future without fear?" asks Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. In this electrifying talk, the spiritual leader gives us three specific ways we can move from the politics of "me" to the politics of "all of us, together."
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks - Religious leader
In a world violently polarized by extremists, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is proposing and advocating solutions to mounting religious intolerance. Full bio
In a world violently polarized by extremists, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is proposing and advocating solutions to mounting religious intolerance. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
"These are the times,"
0
1120
2296
00:15
said Thomas Paine,
1
3440
2016
00:17
"that try men's souls."
2
5480
1880
00:20
And they're trying ours now.
3
8160
1456
00:21
This is a fateful moment
in the history of the West.
in the history of the West.
4
9640
4176
00:25
We've seen divisive elections
and divided societies.
and divided societies.
5
13840
5000
00:31
We've seen a growth of extremism
6
19360
1880
00:33
in politics and religion,
7
21920
2240
00:36
all of it fueled by anxiety,
uncertainty and fear,
uncertainty and fear,
8
24720
3560
00:41
of a world that's changing
almost faster than we can bear,
almost faster than we can bear,
9
29160
5296
00:46
and the sure knowledge
that it's going to change faster still.
that it's going to change faster still.
10
34480
3360
00:51
I have a friend in Washington.
11
39440
1456
00:52
I asked him, what was it like
being in America
being in America
12
40920
2176
00:55
during the recent presidential election?
13
43120
3240
00:58
He said to me, "Well,
14
46880
1200
01:00
it was like the man
15
48880
2000
01:03
sitting on the deck of the Titanic
16
51680
2080
01:06
with a glass of whiskey in his hand
17
54720
3576
01:10
and he's saying,
'I know I asked for ice --
'I know I asked for ice --
18
58320
3776
01:14
(Laughter)
19
62120
3080
01:19
but this is ridiculous.'"
20
67680
1760
01:23
So is there something we can do,
21
71560
3416
01:27
each of us,
22
75000
1200
01:29
to be able to face
the future without fear?
the future without fear?
23
77360
2856
01:32
I think there is.
24
80240
1320
01:34
And one way into it is to see
25
82800
2176
01:37
that perhaps the most simple way
into a culture and into an age
into a culture and into an age
26
85000
5896
01:42
is to ask: What do people worship?
27
90920
2976
01:45
People have worshipped
so many different things --
so many different things --
28
93920
2496
01:48
the sun, the stars, the storm.
29
96440
1880
01:50
Some people worship many gods,
some one, some none.
some one, some none.
30
98840
3400
01:54
In the 19th and 20th centuries,
31
102840
2080
01:57
people worshipped the nation,
32
105720
2176
01:59
the Aryan race, the communist state.
33
107920
2456
02:02
What do we worship?
34
110400
2000
02:05
I think future anthropologists
35
113440
2936
02:08
will take a look at the books we read
36
116400
2080
02:11
on self-help, self-realization,
37
119320
3096
02:14
self-esteem.
38
122440
1200
02:16
They'll look at the way
we talk about morality
we talk about morality
39
124400
2816
02:19
as being true to oneself,
40
127240
2176
02:21
the way we talk about politics
41
129440
2416
02:23
as a matter of individual rights,
42
131880
2776
02:26
and they'll look at this wonderful
new religious ritual we have created.
new religious ritual we have created.
43
134680
5336
02:32
You know the one?
44
140040
1200
02:33
Called the "selfie."
45
141840
1640
02:36
And I think they'll conclude
that what we worship in our time
that what we worship in our time
46
144440
3616
02:40
is the self, the me, the I.
47
148080
2760
02:43
And this is great.
48
151680
1200
02:45
It's liberating.
It's empowering. It's wonderful.
It's empowering. It's wonderful.
49
153600
2720
02:49
But don't forget that biologically,
we're social animals.
we're social animals.
50
157520
5656
02:55
We've spent most
of our evolutionary history
of our evolutionary history
51
163200
3616
02:58
in small groups.
52
166840
1240
03:00
We need those face-to-face interactions
53
168720
3696
03:04
where we learn
the choreography of altruism
the choreography of altruism
54
172440
3400
03:08
and where we create those spiritual goods
55
176880
3056
03:11
like friendship and trust
and loyalty and love
and loyalty and love
56
179960
3400
03:16
that redeem our solitude.
57
184200
2520
03:19
When we have too much of the "I"
and too little of the "we,"
and too little of the "we,"
58
187560
3160
03:23
we can find ourselves vulnerable,
59
191520
2080
03:26
fearful and alone.
60
194400
2000
03:29
It was no accident
that Sherry Turkle of MIT
that Sherry Turkle of MIT
61
197080
2976
03:32
called the book she wrote
on the impact of social media
on the impact of social media
62
200080
3096
03:35
"Alone Together."
63
203200
2120
03:38
So I think the simplest way
of safeguarding the future "you"
of safeguarding the future "you"
64
206400
5016
03:43
is to strengthen the future "us"
65
211440
3056
03:46
in three dimensions:
66
214520
1256
03:47
the us of relationship,
67
215800
2016
03:49
the us of identity
68
217840
1440
03:52
and the us of responsibility.
69
220120
1736
03:53
So let me first
take the us of relationship.
take the us of relationship.
70
221880
2576
03:56
And here, forgive me if I get personal.
71
224480
2520
03:59
Once upon a time,
72
227400
1480
04:01
a very long time ago,
73
229800
2456
04:04
I was a 20-year-old undergraduate
74
232280
2656
04:06
studying philosophy.
75
234960
1656
04:08
I was into Nietzsche and Schopenhauer
and Sartre and Camus.
and Sartre and Camus.
76
236640
3856
04:12
I was full of ontological uncertainty
77
240520
4376
04:16
and existential angst.
78
244920
1536
04:18
It was terrific.
79
246480
1776
04:20
(Laughter)
80
248280
1776
04:22
I was self-obsessed
and thoroughly unpleasant to know,
and thoroughly unpleasant to know,
81
250080
3216
04:25
until one day I saw
82
253320
1680
04:27
across the courtyard
83
255920
2135
04:30
a girl
84
258079
1377
04:31
who was everything that I wasn't.
85
259480
3576
04:35
She radiated sunshine.
86
263080
2016
04:37
She emanated joy.
87
265120
2120
04:40
I found out her name was Elaine.
88
268680
1896
04:42
We met. We talked.
89
270600
1456
04:44
We married.
90
272080
1416
04:45
And 47 years, three children
and eight grandchildren later,
and eight grandchildren later,
91
273520
4336
04:49
I can safely say
92
277880
1536
04:51
it was the best decision
I ever took in my life,
I ever took in my life,
93
279440
2936
04:54
because it's the people not like us
94
282400
3616
04:58
that make us grow.
95
286040
1200
05:00
And that is why I think
96
288400
2320
05:03
we have to do just that.
97
291440
1680
05:06
The trouble with Google filters,
98
294040
2096
05:08
Facebook friends
99
296160
1936
05:10
and reading the news by narrowcasting
rather than broadcasting
rather than broadcasting
100
298120
3736
05:13
means that we're surrounded
almost entirely by people like us
almost entirely by people like us
101
301880
4816
05:18
whose views, whose opinions,
whose prejudices, even,
whose prejudices, even,
102
306720
3496
05:22
are just like ours.
103
310240
1320
05:24
And Cass Sunstein of Harvard has shown
104
312200
2696
05:26
that if we surround ourselves
with people with the same views as us,
with people with the same views as us,
105
314920
4376
05:31
we get more extreme.
106
319320
2320
05:34
I think we need to renew
those face-to-face encounters
those face-to-face encounters
107
322440
3776
05:38
with the people not like us.
108
326240
1920
05:41
I think we need to do that
109
329280
2096
05:43
in order to realize
that we can disagree strongly
that we can disagree strongly
110
331400
4056
05:47
and yet still stay friends.
111
335480
3296
05:50
It's in those face-to-face encounters
112
338800
2096
05:52
that we discover
that the people not like us
that the people not like us
113
340920
3000
05:56
are just people, like us.
114
344920
2480
06:00
And actually, every time
115
348800
2040
06:03
we hold out the hand of friendship
116
351640
2296
06:05
to somebody not like us,
117
353960
2016
06:08
whose class or creed
or color are different from ours,
or color are different from ours,
118
356000
4960
06:14
we heal
119
362040
1696
06:15
one of the fractures
120
363760
1616
06:17
of our wounded world.
121
365400
1776
06:19
That is the us of relationship.
122
367200
2400
06:22
Second is the us of identity.
123
370120
2440
06:25
Let me give you a thought experiment.
124
373400
2080
06:28
Have you been to Washington?
Have you seen the memorials?
Have you seen the memorials?
125
376240
2696
06:30
Absolutely fascinating.
126
378960
1696
06:32
There's the Lincoln Memorial:
127
380680
1616
06:34
Gettysburg Address on one side,
Second Inaugural on the other.
Second Inaugural on the other.
128
382320
4416
06:38
You go to the Jefferson Memorial,
129
386760
1736
06:40
screeds of text.
130
388520
1936
06:42
Martin Luther King Memorial,
131
390480
2016
06:44
more than a dozen quotes
from his speeches.
from his speeches.
132
392520
2416
06:46
I didn't realize,
in America you read memorials.
in America you read memorials.
133
394960
3240
06:51
Now go to the equivalent
in London in Parliament Square
in London in Parliament Square
134
399800
3896
06:55
and you will see that the monument
to David Lloyd George
to David Lloyd George
135
403720
3376
06:59
contains three words:
136
407120
2016
07:01
David Lloyd George.
137
409160
2136
07:03
(Laughter)
138
411320
2216
07:05
Nelson Mandela gets two.
139
413560
1776
07:07
Churchill gets just one:
140
415360
2336
07:09
Churchill.
141
417720
1216
07:10
(Laughter)
142
418960
1296
07:12
Why the difference?
I'll tell you why the difference.
I'll tell you why the difference.
143
420280
2496
07:14
Because America was from the outset
a nation of wave after wave of immigrants,
a nation of wave after wave of immigrants,
144
422800
4296
07:19
so it had to create an identity
145
427120
2176
07:21
which it did by telling a story
146
429320
2336
07:23
which you learned at school,
you read on memorials
you read on memorials
147
431680
2656
07:26
and you heard repeated
in presidential inaugural addresses.
in presidential inaugural addresses.
148
434360
3856
07:30
Britain until recently
wasn't a nation of immigrants,
wasn't a nation of immigrants,
149
438240
3056
07:33
so it could take identity for granted.
150
441320
2456
07:35
The trouble is now
151
443800
1920
07:39
that two things have happened
which shouldn't have happened together.
which shouldn't have happened together.
152
447040
3496
07:42
The first thing is in the West
we've stopped telling this story
we've stopped telling this story
153
450560
3296
07:45
of who we are and why,
154
453880
1536
07:47
even in America.
155
455440
1240
07:49
And at the same time,
156
457440
1576
07:51
immigration is higher
than it's ever been before.
than it's ever been before.
157
459040
4856
07:55
So when you tell a story
and your identity is strong,
and your identity is strong,
158
463920
3296
07:59
you can welcome the stranger,
159
467240
2136
08:01
but when you stop telling the story,
160
469400
2496
08:03
your identity gets weak
161
471920
1536
08:05
and you feel threatened by the stranger.
162
473480
3496
08:09
And that's bad.
163
477000
1576
08:10
I tell you, Jews have been scattered
and dispersed and exiled for 2,000 years.
and dispersed and exiled for 2,000 years.
164
478600
6296
08:16
We never lost our identity.
165
484920
1696
08:18
Why? Because at least once a year,
166
486640
2096
08:20
on the festival of Passover,
167
488760
1736
08:22
we told our story
and we taught it to our children
and we taught it to our children
168
490520
2936
08:25
and we ate the unleavened
bread of affliction
bread of affliction
169
493480
2256
08:27
and tasted the bitter herbs of slavery.
170
495760
2416
08:30
So we never lost our identity.
171
498200
2056
08:32
I think collectively
172
500280
1696
08:34
we've got to get back
to telling our story,
to telling our story,
173
502000
2856
08:36
who we are, where we came from,
174
504880
2016
08:38
what ideals by which we live.
175
506920
3120
08:42
And if that happens,
176
510400
1856
08:44
we will become strong enough
177
512280
2416
08:46
to welcome the stranger and say,
178
514720
2656
08:49
"Come and share our lives,
179
517400
3096
08:52
share our stories,
180
520520
1480
08:54
share our aspirations and dreams."
181
522720
3600
08:58
That is the us of identity.
182
526880
1896
09:00
And finally, the us of responsibility.
183
528800
3320
09:04
Do you know something?
184
532840
1256
09:06
My favorite phrase in all of politics,
185
534120
2616
09:08
very American phrase,
186
536760
1480
09:11
is: "We the people."
187
539520
2320
09:15
Why "we the people?"
188
543120
1216
09:16
Because it says that we all
share collective responsibility
share collective responsibility
189
544360
4200
09:21
for our collective future.
190
549480
1680
09:24
And that's how things
really are and should be.
really are and should be.
191
552040
2640
09:27
Have you noticed how magical thinking
192
555920
3336
09:31
has taken over our politics?
193
559280
2920
09:34
So we say, all you've got to do
is elect this strong leader
is elect this strong leader
194
562840
5816
09:40
and he or she will solve
all our problems for us.
all our problems for us.
195
568680
5200
09:46
Believe me, that is magical thinking.
196
574640
3200
09:51
And then we get the extremes:
197
579400
1576
09:53
the far right, the far left,
198
581000
1800
09:55
the extreme religious
and the extreme anti-religious,
and the extreme anti-religious,
199
583920
3696
09:59
the far right dreaming
of a golden age that never was,
of a golden age that never was,
200
587640
4936
10:04
the far left dreaming
of a utopia that never will be
of a utopia that never will be
201
592600
4776
10:09
and the religious and anti-religious
equally convinced
equally convinced
202
597400
4016
10:13
that all it takes is God
or the absence of God
or the absence of God
203
601440
4336
10:17
to save us from ourselves.
204
605800
2320
10:20
That, too, is magical thinking,
205
608760
3176
10:23
because the only people
who will save us from ourselves
who will save us from ourselves
206
611960
4656
10:28
is we the people,
207
616640
2376
10:31
all of us together.
208
619040
1320
10:33
And when we do that,
209
621240
2600
10:36
and when we move from the politics of me
210
624840
3376
10:40
to the politics of all of us together,
211
628240
3376
10:43
we rediscover those beautiful,
counterintuitive truths:
counterintuitive truths:
212
631640
5800
10:50
that a nation is strong
213
638440
1400
10:52
when it cares for the weak,
214
640720
1680
10:55
that it becomes rich
215
643240
1816
10:57
when it cares for the poor,
216
645080
2136
10:59
it becomes invulnerable
when it cares about the vulnerable.
when it cares about the vulnerable.
217
647240
4616
11:03
That is what makes great nations.
218
651880
2416
11:06
(Applause)
219
654320
2560
11:15
So here is my simple suggestion.
220
663120
2800
11:18
It might just change your life,
221
666720
2240
11:22
and it might just help
to begin to change the world.
to begin to change the world.
222
670240
3320
11:26
Do a search and replace operation
223
674400
3936
11:30
on the text of your mind,
224
678360
2736
11:33
and wherever you encounter
the word "self,"
the word "self,"
225
681120
3096
11:36
substitute the word "other."
226
684240
2360
11:39
So instead of self-help, other-help;
227
687400
3256
11:42
instead of self-esteem, other-esteem.
228
690680
3560
11:47
And if you do that,
229
695240
1976
11:49
you will begin to feel the power
230
697240
2920
11:52
of what for me is one
of the most moving sentences
of the most moving sentences
231
700840
4016
11:56
in all of religious literature.
232
704880
2560
12:00
"Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
of the shadow of death,
233
708120
4160
12:05
I will fear no evil,
234
713040
2456
12:07
for you are with me."
235
715520
2040
12:10
We can face any future without fear
236
718400
4536
12:14
so long as we know
237
722960
1736
12:16
we will not face it alone.
238
724720
2720
12:20
So for the sake of the future "you,"
239
728080
3360
12:24
together let us strengthen
240
732160
2856
12:27
the future "us."
241
735040
1520
12:29
Thank you.
242
737320
1216
12:30
(Applause)
243
738560
4600
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks - Religious leaderIn a world violently polarized by extremists, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is proposing and advocating solutions to mounting religious intolerance.
Why you should listen
Rabbi Lord Sacks is one of Judaism's spiritual leaders, and he exercises a primary influence on the thought and philosophy of Jews and people of all faiths worldwide. Since stepping down as Chief Rabbi of the UK and Commonwealth in 2013, Rabbi Lord Sacks has become an increasingly well-known speaker, respected moral voice and writer. He has authored more than 30 books, the latest, Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence, was published in 2015.
Granted a seat in the British House of Lords in 2009 and the winner of the 2016 Templeton Prize, Rabbi Lord Sacks is a key Jewish voice for universalism and an embrace of tolerance between religions and cultures. He rejects the "politics of anger" brought about by the way "we have acted as if markets can function without morals, international corporations without social responsibility and economic systems without regard to their effect on the people left stranded by the shifting tide." He also sees, as a key idea for faith in our times, that unity in heaven creates diversity on earth.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks | Speaker | TED.com