In praise of gentleness

"Meekness is acceptance of who we are, of our frailties and our limitations, and thus we come to accept the frailties and limitations of others. If we know ourselves, if meekness is part of our lives, we can welcome with kindness and serenity the people we encounter in life, without being devoured by haste and carelessness, by distraction and indifference, which, imprisoning us in their icy barriers, prevent us from building bridges of communication between ourselves and others. Meekness allows us to choose the time to speak and the time to remain silent, seeking to assert not only our rights, but those of others, and avoiding unnecessary conflicts, which harm us and others. Meekness is a source of knowledge and experience, which also allows us to listen to the silent voice of pain and the toil of living, of sadness and nostalgia, and that of happiness and joy, of wisdom and hope. Gentleness allows us to enter into dialogue with others, making us capable of listening and trust, of kindness and respect, of tenderness and sensitivity. Gentleness is demonstrated not only by words, whether spoken or not, but also by the gestures that accompany them, which are no less important. The way we greet and shake hands, when possible, knowing how to smile, not being ashamed to cry, which is sometimes the only way to demonstrate our friendly presence to a person immersed in pain and sadness, anguish and desperation, in the hope of not being left alone in their solitude.

This eulogy of gentleness is the work of Eugenio Borgna (1930-2024), a psychiatrist by profession, an advocate of a psychiatry with a human face, aimed at the integral care of the person and not the illness. A man rich in faith, hope, and Christian charity. The small book that contains it is titled Meekness (Einaudi, 2023). He has written others, full of wisdom and love, right from the titles: Tenderness, Listening to Silence, The Words That Save Us, Gentle Listening, Unspeakable Tenderness.

To Marina Corradi, who interviews him about the all-consuming pressure of time, he replies: "Contemplation saves us, and prayer: prayer, dialogue with God, is the only oxbow where the current of the river of time stops."


Renzo Agasso
NP May 2025