#Human Dignity

[violottie]

This is what 5 months of intentional starvation looks like.

"Palestinians in Gaza demonstrate the impact of the Israeli and Egyptian blockade by stepping on scales to reveal their weight loss." from Mint Press, 15/Mar/2024:

[apenitentialprayer]

Not going to touch the post that prompted this, but yes, you were made to worship God. God created you, and you specifically, because He wanted someone to receive His benefits (Irenaeus), because God wanted to create a space where a someone could respond to and reciprocate His love (Benedict XVI), because He wanted an Other to be able to experience and enjoy the Goodness that is Himself. God created us to be in relationship with Him. That is the essence and end goal of worship; to not only see God, but to experience, participate in, and enjoy God. And this is true of the person with the most dramatic mental deficiency you can imagine, of the person who suffers the most intense chronic pain you can imagine, of any other person that you or anyone else might deem better off dead than alive. Because God loves them, and their lives are infinitely valued.

[victusinveritas]

[cheerfullycatholic]

Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter. This principle, which is fully recognizable even by reason alone, underlies the primacy of the human person and the protection of human rights. In the light of Revelation, the Church resolutely reiterates and confirms the ontological dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed in Jesus Christ. From this truth, the Church draws the reasons for her commitment to the weak and those less endowed with power, always insisting on “the primacy of the human person and the defense of his or her dignity beyond every circumstance.”

Dignitas Infinita, paragraph 1

[agentfascinateur]

May you soar, Palestine

And reach great heights 🙏🏼🇺🇳

[russia-libertaire]

"What Russia needs is not sermons (she has heard enough of them!) or prayers (she has repeated them too often!), but the awakening in the people of a sense of their human dignity lost for so many centuries amid dirt and refuse".

Letter to N. V. Gogol from V. G. Belinsky (1847)

[dessertbird]

Daily Destiel 💙💚

I failed at being an angel. Everything I ever attempted came out wrong. But here … at least I have a shot at getting things right. I guess you can't see it, but … there's a real dignity in what I do – human dignity. 😠😍❤️

[ivygorgon]

👮 Orange is the New Red, White, and Blue: Prison Reform NOW!

AN OPEN LETTER to THE PRESIDENT & U.S. CONGRESS; STATE GOVERNORS & LEGISLATURES

1 so far! Help us get to 5 signers!

I am writing to urge immediate action towards transforming our corrections system from one focused on punishment and control, to a model centered on human dignity and rehabilitation. The current punitive approach perpetuates cycles of incarceration, abuse, and societal disintegration, ultimately failing to rehabilitate individuals and reintegrate them into our communities.

Recent analyses of European prison systems, such as Norway's Halden Prison, demonstrate the effectiveness of a human dignity approach. At Halden, private rooms, communal living spaces, vocational training, and family contact are prioritized, resulting in lower rates of violence and recidivism. This approach not only fosters humane treatment but also proves to be cost-effective in the long term.

We must shift away from a system that dehumanizes individuals and perpetuates a cycle of incarceration and abuse. Instead, we must embrace a model that prioritizes rehabilitation, second chances, and societal reintegration. Comprehensive prison reform that centers on human dignity is not only morally imperative but also a crucial step towards creating a more just and equitable society.

It is time to end modern slave labor within the for-profit prison industrial complex and invest in rehabilitation-focused treatment. We have a responsibility to nurture emotionally intelligent individuals and provide real opportunities for those who have been failed by the system.

I urge you to support and advocate for legislation that embodies the principles of human dignity and rehabilitation. Let us work together to ensure that every individual receives a genuine second chance and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Justice for the American people! Together we can say NO to Modern Slave Labor in the USA! Let's make their second chance count! Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.

Source:

📱 Text SIGN PNWJIS to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW IVYPETITIONS to 50409

[ffcrazy15]

"From the start of his pontificate, Pope Francis has invited the Church to “believe in a Father who loves all men and women with an infinite love, realizing that ‘he thereby confers upon them an infinite dignity.’” He has strongly emphasized that such immense dignity is an original datum (something given) that is to be acknowledged faithfully and welcomed with gratitude. Based on this recognition and acceptance of human dignity, a new coexistence among people can be established that develops social relationships in the context of authentic fraternity. Indeed, only by “acknowledging the dignity of each human person” can we “contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity.” Pope Francis affirms that “the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” but even human reason can arrive at this conviction through reflection and dialogue since “the dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently. That every human being possesses an inalienable dignity is a truth that corresponds to human nature apart from all cultural change.” Pope Francis concludes, “human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age of history, and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny this conviction or to act against it.” From this perspective, Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, constitutes a kind of “Magna Carta” of our contemporary tasks to protect and promote human dignity." –Dignitas infinita, §6 *paragraph breaks added for clarity

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"Religion says that you and I could not individually or collectively decide upon a right action or right thing without celestial divine permission. What could abolish our honesty or our dignity more than that?" -- Christopher Hitchens

Morality is an evolved trait which has emerged from survival instincts. An eternal, immortal being can never understand morality, because it can never experience risk or consequences. An omniscient, timeless, all-knowing being can never comprehend morality because it never needs to make a choice, decide an option, learn from a mistake.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"You can make a spiritually irresponsible statement about evil. For example, I’ve heard people say that Hitler was crying out for love. That may be true. But there was a massive anti-ecological, anti-evolutionary act that he brought into existence, and one could call that evil.

There’s a danger in using the deepest level to excuse the other levels. So it seems to me that there is evil. There are acts that oppose the flow of life and growth and human dignity. They must be dealt with courageously. They must be dealt with by warriors.

— from “The Prayer of the Body III,” Stephen R. Schwartz, interviewed by Sy Safransky, October 1992

[violottie]

never forgive. never forget.

from Palestine Lobby, as of 21/Feb/2024:

[apenitentialprayer]

When Jesus forgave others, he was rehumanizing those who had been dehumanized.

Damon Garcia (The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus, page 83)

[cheerfullycatholic]

Human trafficking must also be counted among the grave violations of human dignity.[77] While it is not a new phenomenon, it has taken on tragic dimensions before our eyes, which is why Pope Francis has denounced it in particularly emphatic terms: “I reaffirm here that the ‘trade in people’ is a vile activity, a disgrace to our societies that claim to be civilized! Exploiters and clients at all levels should make a serious examination of conscience both in the first person and before God! Today the Church is renewing her urgent appeal that the dignity and centrality of every individual always be safeguarded, with respect for fundamental rights, as her social teaching emphasizes. She asks that these rights really be extended for millions of men and women on every continent, wherever they are not recognized. In a world in which a lot is said about rights, how often is human dignity actually trampled upon! In a world in which so much is said about rights, it seems that the only thing that has any rights is money.”[78]

For these reasons, the Church and humanity must not cease fighting against such phenomena as “the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labor, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism, and international organized crime. Such is the magnitude of these situations, and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism that would assuage our consciences. We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges.”[79] Confronted with these varied and brutal denials of human dignity, we need to be increasingly aware that “human trafficking is a crime against humanity.”[80] It essentially denies human dignity in at least two ways: “Trafficking profoundly disfigures the humanity of the victim, offending his or her freedom and dignity. Yet, at the same time, it dehumanizes those who carry it out.”[81]

Dignitas Infinita, paragraph 41 and 42

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Divine Majesty and Human Dignity

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.

1 How excellent in all the earth, Lord, our Lord, is thy name! Who hast thy glory far advanc’d above the starry frame.

2 From infants’ and from sucklings’ mouth thou didest strength ordain, For thy foes’ cause, that so thou might'st th’ avenging foe restrain.

3 When I look up unto the heav'ns, which thine own fingers fram’d, Unto the moon, and to the stars, which were by thee ordain’d;

4 Then say I, What is man, that he remember’d is by thee? Or what the son of man, that thou so kind to him should'st be?

5 For thou a little lower hast him than the angels made; With glory and with dignity thou crowned hast his head.

6 Of thy hands’ works thou mad'st him lord, all under’s feet didst lay;

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and beasts that in the field do stray;

8 Fowls of the air, fish of the sea, all that pass through the same.

9 How excellent in all the earth, Lord, our Lord, is thy name! — Psalm 8 | Psalms of David in Metre 1650 (Scottish Psalter) Psalms of David in Metre 1650 © British and Foreign Bible Society 2015. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 1:16; Genesis 1:26; Exodus 8:19; Job 7:17; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 57:5; Psalm 104:25; Matthew 11:25; Matthew 21:16; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-7

[melanieaycockdesigns]

SERVING VS. HELPING 3/3

Portugal: A Case Study in Human-Centered Approaches to Drug Policy

Another example of a systemic use of human-centered design is Portugal's approach toward drugs and addiction. While substance abuse is typically viewed through the lens of criminal activity, Portugal chose to design its drug policy through a more holistic and empathetic lens. In 2001, they implemented drug policy that is rooted in the understanding that substance use disorder is a health issue—not a criminal offense. Policies include: decriminalizing personal drug possession while maintaining penalties for drug trafficking, referring individuals with problematic drug use to Commissions for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction instead of incarceration, funding harm reduction techniques, and investing in data collection and reporting. While we can't—and shouldn't—copy and paste these policies in the United States, this article suggests some ways the federal government can use this approach to satisfy the desiderata of Americans struggling with substance abuse.