My understanding of my faith is that - through a Christian framework - part of what we are called to do is to lay down our own self-interests, after the model of divinity that comes into this world in the form of Christ and lays down his life. And in order to do that, you have to care about something or someone more than yourself.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of selflessness and caring for others, modeled after Christ's example.
In this quote, Pete Buttigieg articulates a central tenet of Christian faith that encourages individuals to prioritize the needs and well-being of others over their own desires and interests. By referencing Christ, who selflessly gave His life for humanity, Buttigieg invites others to adopt a similar spirit of sacrifice and compassion in their lives, highlighting that to truly embody this principle, one must cultivate a deep care for others that surpasses their own self-interests.
In practice
In a speech about community service, one could use this quote to emphasize the value of helping others.
'Freedom' means a lot to conservatives, but they have such a narrow sense of what it means. They think a lot about freedom from - freedom from government, freedom from regulation - and precious little about freedom to. Freedom to is absolutely something that has to be safeguarded by good government, just as it could be impaired by bad government.
We need to intentionally invest in health, in home ownership, in entrepreneurship, in access to democracy, in economic empowerment. If we don't do these things, we shouldn't be surprised that racial inequality persists because inequalities compound.
Physically robust infrastructure is not enough if it fails to foster a healthy community; ultimately, all infrastructure is social.
So much of politics is about people's relationships with themselves. You do better if you make people feel secure in who they are.
Experiences with friends or family members coming out have helped millions of Americans to see past stereotypes and better understand what being gay is - and is not.
The most moving responses I got to my coming out in the first place was people, like teenagers, letting me know that it made their lives easier in some way.
You can be as exclusive as you want to in your house, but once you walk outside your house, you have to realize that it's not your world anymore: it's all of our world.
When you feel confused or burdened by problems focus on THIS INSTANT and ask yourself: WHAT PROBLEM DO I HAVE RIGHT NOW? You will find that there is no problem NOW. A challenge that requires action, possibly, but not a problem.
A free, virtuous, and enlightened people must know full well the great principles and causes upon which their happiness depends.
Today the god hypothesis has ceased to be scientifically tenable, has lost its explanatory value and is becoming an intellectual and moral burden to our thought. It no longer convinces or comforts, and its abandonment often brings a deep sense of relief.
Those who came to the United States didn't realize they were white until they got here. They were told they were white. They had to learn they were white. An Irish peasant coming from British imperial abuse in Ireland during the potato famine in the 1840s, arrives in the United States. You ask him or her what they are. They say, "I am Irish." No, you're white. "What do you mean, I am white?" And they point me out. "Oh, I see what you mean. This is a strange land."
At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.
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