Respecting human dignity as an essential mission for humanity

Abstract

If we treat history as a process of discovering values, and each epoch as defined by a certain way of valuing, then the twentieth century, not without reason, could be characterized as an age in which individuality, subjectivity, independence and dignity are valued above all else, and humility, obedience and harmony are disregarded. Dignity is a value - a reason, a value - a slogan, a superior, festive, façade value, and at the same time, thanks to the emotional element it contains, it is an intimate value, universal, because it refers to the "feeling" of each of us.  The concept of "dignity" is not set in stone. It has changed historically, as has the sense of freedom or the sense of responsibility. In our transitional, dynamic era, these changes are particularly rapid. It is the moral duty of our generation to shape this concept in such a way that it is adequate to the requirements of civilization industrial. It would be a grave mistake to ignore this obligation.  Recognizing the dignity of man in the aspect of his superiority over everything that comes from him in the visible world, it is also necessary to "cry out" for his dignity. The "cry" for the dignity of the human person is becoming the most important voice of our time. It is a matter of human activity being at the service of man, of his integral development, of individuals, of communities, of the whole of humanity, and not directed against man, against his dignity, nor at destroying or humiliating it.