Spreading dignity during Covid-19

THE Covid-19 pandemic has confronted us with the vulnerability and interconnectedness of the human condition. It has revealed our susceptibility to common risks, regardless of geographic, political, religious or class divides, as well as our impact on each other’s health and well-being. It has reminded us of our shared humanity and, with that, provided an opportunity for us to affirm the intrinsic worth of every life.

The conviction that every person is valuable is widespread among all cultures and nations. It is present in all the major world religions, which recognize and teach the sacredness of human life. Likewise, it is supported in multiple international documents and national constitutions that uplift the dignity, or inherent worth, of all humans. Examples include the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Right, which recognizes the dignity of “all members of the human family,” and constitutions from countries as diverse as Germany, Brazil, South Africa and the Philippines (whose Article II asserts that “the State values the dignity of every human person”).