Antrolopologia Biblica

A World in Change – Challenges of today for Vincentians

Guillermo Campuzano, CM

“The World has change and we must change… Our challenges are new but the values with which we face them are old” Barack Obama (inauguration speech)

Each generation is responsible for grasping and being aware of the reality of the world in which they live.Each individual and social group has a moment in life to understand that what they have learned is just a hint for them to begin their journey to freedom. Saint Vincent not only individually grasped the meaning of his time but also helped the people of his generation to face with honesty and creativity the main challenges of 17th century France and in the Catholic Church.
But, how do we know thatour world is changing, what signs do we have of these changes? What challenges do we face today that are similar to or different from those faced by Vincent in his time? Let us try to grasp in a simple outline this very complex reality for all of us… In the following pages I’ll try to summarize the main changes in our world as described in our first discussion in class this winter 2009. I won’tdevelop all the themes point it out in this paper, but I will explain them in class in greater depth.

1. Paradigmatic transformation: emergence of new anthropological and theological paradigms - From a rational (modernity) to a relational (trans-modernity) paradigm.


2. From XX to XXI century: The Great Cultural Revolution[1]. How can we describe this revolution?
➢ A systemicchallenge to all social, religious and educational institutions is occurring which are being denounced as power machines, and instruments of repression of individual freedoms and personality.
➢ The Crisis of the educational system is visible in – a) the inability to answer with creativity to the main challenges of today (violence, ecology and poverty) from a educational point of view. b)Inability to respond to new generations as they implement a new way of being human, and a new cosmo-vision shaped by the technological era. (Agro and industrial eras are part of the past). c) Inability to transform a system of education that is based upon transmitting knowledge through the transmition of theories.
➢ Crisis of the State and Leadership in general. Growing disenchantment ofdemocracy especially among new generations. This is expressed in political indifference.
➢ The Crisis in traditional institutions opened the door to a new institutionalization, the institutionalization and super power of the commercial multinationals. These mega-companies impose their laws. State, education, family, scientific work, health, communication, the entire public and private network istoday at the service (they have been bought and even corrupted by) FREE TRADE!
➢ Culture and sports have been transformed into commerce as well. This means that they are also sources of capital.
➢ The void left by the institutions is being used to consolidate a total power: a neoliberal power… This power is strengthened by the almost mechanical and non critical consumerism of theimmense majority of our society.
➢ A new capitalism is happening, a capitalism that is a lot more powerful than what we realize, and that alienates everyone and everything (including the human person and all kind of lives in general) through its power. This new power is created by the combination of capital with technology, media and the institutional void.
➢ From this Cultural revolution wecan recognize (name) other main signs of change in our world:
3. Economic Globalization: The economic, financial and commercial interconnection is growing between the diverse geographical zones of our planet through a relationship that is established between companies or markets that before were separated. This has been feasible thanks to the vast development of information and communication,...