Sunday, July 22, 2007

Human Dignity and the Need for a Humanist Revival

In the world today, we witness a disturbing trend. Human beings by all indications increasingly view their own human nature as a weakness, a failure, not something to be proud of at all. It has been a trend throughout history for human beings to hide their own humanity behind as many facades as they can, as many "alternate identities" as they can; always trying to play down the fact that they are simply human beings by emphasizing nationality, religion, culture, language etc. as if it made them something more than human. Upholding the values promoted by such sources over and above their own sense of humanity. It is as though human beings are afraid of the human condition itself and are in a constant state of denial and self-deception. Is it any wonder therefore that human beings constantly abuse themselves and others while turning to ever more extreme creeds and practices in order to give meaning to their lives? If these people have no faith in their dignity as human beings, are such consequences not to be expected?

While there may be lip-service paid to human rights and dignity of sorts in this world, reality makes such words absolutely meaningless. Is the consumerism of our culture emphasizing human dignity or is it emphasizing the all consuming power of the dollar and that "to be cool" you have to spend and buy into all the latest trends and fashions?...and that your very existence somehow depends on it and the brand image you present. Does organized religion somehow emphasize human dignity with all its rhetoric concerning human weakness and general filthiness while urging people to give themselves over totally to a higher power that will save them from this condition? Do our stars and celebrities emphasize human dignity while they indulge themselves in all the pointless trappings of high society while ingesting record amounts of drugs, sex and alcohol to cope with the stress of fame? All these images and others just tear apart any credibility that such speeches by our so-called "leaders" may have. Humanity is degrading.

If the problems of this world are to be confronted and overcome than our sense of pride in our humanity, our sense of human dignity must be restored. Furthermore it must be clearly emphasized throughout the world as a fundamental of world culture.This is something that can be attained only through a unified world order that is able to make the world one based on this premise. Humanity dignity is central to the Universalist ideology and is a means to overcome the degradations we have witnessed at present and in the past. It is a means to forge a new dawn for us all. Humanity, all our strengths and all our weaknesses, all our reason and all our superstition, all our truth...it is who we are and it is what we must embrace and constantly strive to advance. We must accept, understand and overcome our weaknesses while advancing our strengths, our knowledge and our potential.

Dignity shall triumph over the malaise that now grips humanity. It is up to us as the new elite now preparing to graduate and enter mainstream society to lead by example to this end. No more shall the human race be permitted to cannibalize itself as it has done for so long, for we will be there to lead and to protect and defend our species. The diseased sickness of materialism the mindlessness of fundamentalism must be contained and ultimately swept from the earth. Only then will humanity know justice and the dignity that such justice entails. As humans we are united in our diversity and we must not forget that.

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