Nobel laureate: #NotAlone shatters ‘false boxes’, division among people

By Zeus Legaspi

Maria Ressa, the first Nobel Peace Prize recipient from the Philippines, discussed her participation in the first World Meeting on Human Fraternity at Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday.

Ressa was among the 30 Nobel laureates who convened on Saturday, 10 June, and presented the landmark Declaration on Human Fraternity, which they had drafted earlier that day.

‘That was new to me’

The Filipino Nobel laureate expressed her surprise at the emphasis placed on values that are typically absent in conventional policy discussions during her conversations with fellow laureates about the declaration.

“Normally, if you are at a gathering where you’re looking for policy decisions…your rational side will attack the problem. But yesterday, it was interesting because it brought words that you would not normally say in a policy discussion,” Ressa told journalists.

“Things like humanity, love, faith. That was new to me,” she added. On Saturday, the Nobel laureates called for an end to war, fear, and sexual and domestic violence. They also called for the promotion of peace, justice, and equality.

“Compassion, sharing, generosity, sobriety, and responsibility are for us the choices that nurture personal fraternity, the fraternity of the heart,” the declaration stated.

‘It was not about one faith’

The meeting, organized by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation, echoed Pope Francis’ encyclical on human fraternity, Fratelli tutti. However, Ressa made it clear that despite being organized by a Catholic foundation, the meeting was not solely focused on Catholicism.

“It was not about one faith. It was about humanity, belief, and values. That is what I loved about it,” she said.

“It was holistic. It made me realize that we looked at things too fragmented. We create false boxes that we can fit in,” Ressa added.

The Nobel laureate expressed her hope that the declaration might serve as a “first step forward” towards a better society. “It acknowledges the commonalities we share, our hopes, our dreams, and even our mistakes. It acknowledges that we are not in this alone,” she said.

“We have to find that common ground of working together, our shared dreams, our shared hopes, and move it forward.”

Fighting lies

Ressa is renowned for her vocal stance against false news and misinformation in the Philippines. Over the years, she has been advocating for a more responsible utilization of digital platforms and demanding accountability from technology giants, particularly social media companies. This advocacy has found its place in the declaration.

The declaration states, “Let us cease the manipulation of technology and AI. Let us prioritize fraternity over technological development so that it can permeate through it.”

Ressa pointed out that the issue with technology lies in its rewarding of falsehoods. She asked, "How can we integrate that into our social media platforms and the connections that bind us as human beings?”

Fratelli tutti has already addressed this concern, stating that the digital realm has the capability to employ subtle and invasive mechanisms for the “manipulation of consciences and the democratic process,” consequently facilitating the “spread of fake news and false information.”

Ressa expressed her hope that the declaration would contribute to promoting responsible usage of social media and, in turn, help combat the proliferation of falsehoods on the internet.

During the gathering, the laureates called upon “all women and men of goodwill” to embrace their appeal for fraternity. They emphasized that a world of peace, justice, and equality is crucial for the well-being of our children and the future of humanity, stating, “Only fraternity can foster humanity.”