Honoring Human Dignity

Honoring Human Dignity

As I walked into the grocery store, I overheard a loud comment shared between two men leaving the store: “Masks are ridiculous.” The tone struck me as very angry and a little theatrical. I was the only person nearby, and I was wearing a mask. I turned to them and asked, “I’m sorry, were you speaking to me?” and received only silent glares in return. I tried to smile with my eyes. I walked away, silently angry, after this moment of random hostility. I wondered: how can this get better? What can I do?

Reflecting on this society in which our children are coming of age often leaves me angry, sad, or frustrated. It may be that anger, sadness, and frustration are the primary feelings that Americans have in common these days. What we too often lack, in my opinion, is shared respect for the humanity of others. I think we can improve on that.

I don’t have a master plan for fixing society. I cannot persuade someone to suddenly begin respecting the dignity of other human beings. But, if you too believe that we need more humanity in society, a greater respect for human dignity, then the following framework may help us to act on that belief. After all, change begins with us.

David Jaffe teaches that we honor the dignity of our fellow human beings by acknowledging each person’s infinite value, equality, and uniqueness. (Source: David Jaffe, Changing the World from the Inside Out.) Let’s look at what this means.

Each person has infinite value: inherent significance beyond measure. That awareness must guide how we treat others: neighbors, employees, customers, vendors, travelers, patients, visitors, accident victims, suspects, friends. All human beings, worthy of our respect and attention.

All persons are equal in their value. This principle may be deceptively difficult to put into action. Too often it is easier to honor people with whom we agree, and to see the humanity in those who are “more like us.” As the lines that divide us are drawn more brightly, and the society’s inequalities become wider, honoring all human beings becomes harder – and more crucial.

Each person is unique. We must pause to appreciate what makes each person an individual, with their own experiences and complex beliefs. We must guard against the tendency to equate an individual with their group identities or with some of their beliefs. We must replace assumptions with open-minded interest. Everyone has more than one story.

What can this awareness lead us to do differently? If we recognize that all human beings are infinitely valuable, equal, and unique, we are more inclined to truly pay attention to them. We are better able to listen, especially to those with whom we have disagreements or differences. In these ways, we demonstrate respect, and we create the possibility for mutual respect and mutual understanding.

Showing respect and paying attention are still hard, especially when we feel disrespected or ignored. But, responding to such insults in kind only plunges us deeper into a cycle of inhumanity. Acting from a respect for human dignity offers a constructive (if challenging) alternative.

A conception of human beings as infinitely valuable, equal, and unique calls us to engage thoughtfully with others. It also requires that we resist some very natural urges. We must replace:

• Some of our assumptions with curiosity,
• Some of our judgement with acceptance, and
• Some of our talking with listening.

If we can make these changes, gently over time, we are sure to improve the quality of our own lives. We also stand a good chance of improving our world.

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At Ethical Leaders in Action we believe that most, if not all people, can develop themselves to play leadership roles in many different spheres both large and small. The foundation of this development process is a short but powerful list of virtues which can be developed and improved through conscious effort. For more information feel free to take the Virtues of Ethical Leadership Self Inventory (VELSI) which breaks these virtues down into features that can be individually developed. The results of the VELSI come with a quick reference guide to help you understand how the virtues and their individual features fit together. https://ethinact.com/velsi/

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