The right to dignity

I was reading my Human Behavior in the Social Environment text and came across the phrase "human rights and dignity." I immediately paused and wondered why dignity was not encompassed as a human right. Yet, the more I think about it, the more it seems that we leave in a society that diminishes dignity. This is a hard subject for me to talk about for a few reasons. 1). Dignity is not synonymous with pride. Thus, I am not condoning the sin of pride, but rather questioning how we have so willingly embraced a demeaning society. 2). With recent political decisions, I feel that my discussion on dignity may upset some, even though I am making no political statements. After all, no one hates politics more than myself. Now that I have made my brief disclaimer, I would like to consider this topic a little further. In my text, it was talking about the effects of patriarchy, oppression, discrimination, and prejudice. (Note: the difference between discrimination and prejudice is action versus attitude, respectively). If you were to consider each of these, you would notice that in order for such ideologies to exist, one loses dignity. Patriarchical societies often place the male brain as superior to the female brain, thus, women lose a sense of dignity over their abiity to reason. Take each of the previous instances and you will see that I am correct. However, as I was considering this, it occurred to me that maybe a loss of dignity is at the root of sin. My dear friend Hannah once observed that most sin seems to be of a direct or indirect hurt to another human being. Think about it: adultery, lying, murder, etc. Similarly, what if a root qualification for sin is when our actions or thoughts cause one to lose dignity? Gossip. Hurtful words and loose tongues may cause one to lose dignity. Lying. Untruthful words can ruin a reputation and cause one to lose dignity. Adultery. Unfaithful spouses can break a trust and cause victimized spouse to lose dignity. Interesting, huh? Thus, I would like to caution you. Before you make that bold accusation about the lady using food stamps, before you snarl your nose at the man begging on the corner, consider their dignity and consider how you may have just sinned. Peace & Blessings.