A Jerusalem Post Column
May 20, 2011
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"What is man that Thou are mindful of him? ….Thou has made him but little lower than the angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor" Psalms 8

Dignity is usually defined in moral terms as the innate right of each human being to respect and ethical treatment. This concept of human dignity is the basis for human rights and claims against abuse. Equal rights is based on the Genesis story of God creating man.

All of us are born with this "inherent dignity." It means that each of our lives is of equal value. No matter the social status of a person, whether clergy, president or monarch, it is never justified for them to sacrifice someone else's life for their own personal benefit.

"Inherent dignity" is also evident in the respect for the human body. In hospitals doctors are advised to pull curtains and be as discreet as possible when they examine patients. In prisons, personnel are required to respect a criminal's physical privacy when checking them for suspicious objects. Even human cadavers are accorded respect. They are not left uncovered unless being inspected.

In addition to "inherent dignity" we are endowed with the potential for "acquired dignity". This means that being dignified or undignified is related to how you behave. A basic manner in which dignity is acquired comes as a result of how you act in relation to physical pleasure.

Our physical pleasures of eating and sex are pleasures that animals enjoy. Acting in a manner that is too similar to the way animals enjoy these pleasures, is considered degrading. Acting like an animal would means you are absorbed, or obsessed' only with satisfying that pleasure. As a result you neglect your self-awareness and control and are acting more like an animal than human. Acting like an animal is degrading. In fact, one of the most derisive comments you can say to someone is that they are "acting like an animal".

Throughout the world we have developed culture and codes of acceptable behavior to differentiate themselves from animals. . These behaviors include personal grooming, cleanliness, accepted dress codes, manners during eating and regulations regarding sexual conduct.

Dignity in eating means eating in a refined manner and with etiquette. If our standard is not to act like animals then, examples are:

• To eat with knife and fork and napkins at a table is dignified
• Eating while walking in the street - certainly not a hamburger, but even pizza or ice cream. is undignified
• Eating by putting your face into the plate, as opposed to raising the food to your mouth, as an animal would do, is undignified. Eating foods with your fingers is also undignified.

Dignity in sexual behavior has many components. While it is considered indecent to engage in sex in public areas like a mall, it is also undignified to engage in intimate kisses in public. Even in private, intimate relations with dignity means maintaining a respect for oneself and one's partner without being obsessed with fulfillment of your desire.

The psychologist Rozin suggested that feelings of disgust reflect a built in to our emotional make up or our soul. This built in reaction of disgust serves us by reminding us to distance ourselves from behaving like animals. There is universal human disgust to exposed feces, and all dirty, filthy animals or creatures. Animals that thrive in dirt, filth and waste are particularly disgusting to people. We appreciate cleanliness. It is why we consider "cleanliness close to Godliness".

Some philosophers consider dignity as being connected to our God given unique human faculties. For them, we are acting in a dignified manner by exercising these faculties.

One of these faculties is imagination. Jacob Bronowski, a science historian and author of "The Ascent of Man", noted that man is able to see a 'better future' because of his ability to imagine. As opposed to animals who can only adapt to nature, man can harness and control nature for his benefit. Examples are agricultural systems, power & energy development and even new medical treatments.

Other unique human faculties are self-awareness which allows for conscience and morality, as well as advanced language skills which allow for intricate social networks and educational growth.

Living one's life by refining these faculties of imagination, conscience and language for the good of society is a way of expressing human dignity.

Aside from your behavior in relation to pleasure and satisfaction human dignity is also evidenced in how you react to aging and death. When aging begins there are people who try to deny it. Such people are reluctant to state their accurate age. Others change their appearance in order to look younger but often with undignified results. Examples are women who get face lifts, and men who get hair transplants or cover a bald head with a "comb over".

Dealing with death is another area for dignified behavior but it is getting more challenging to do so. As a result of the advances in medicine in curing diseases and forestalling death, an expectation has been developed that death is even more unacceptable than ever before.

But in creating us "a little lower than the angels" God has kept immortality from us. We are challenged to be conscious of our inevitable demise to motivate us to live a life of purpose and meaning. To be with someone at the end of their life of eight or nine decades who has lived such a life and accepts imminent death is to be in the presence of an inspiring and dignified soul.

A great example of dealing with a tragic early death from terminal illness in a dignified manner was the late professor Randy Pausch. After a long battle with pancreatic cancer and a terminal diagnosis he continued to celebrate life. He gave a lecture about achieving dreams which later became a NY Times best seller called "The Last Lecture".

There are many opportunities for you to act in a dignified or undignified manner. To be dignified you need to keep in mind your unique human faculties like self-awareness and conscience. By doing so you are remaining in touch with your divine potential while engaged in pleasure, entering older age, or struggling with terminal illness.

That challenge was noted by f Pico Della Mirandola a famous Italian Renaissance philosopher.

"We have made you neither of heavenly nor heavenly stuff, neither mortal nor immortal, so that with free choice and dignity, you may fashion yourself into whatever form you choose. To you is granted the power of degrading yourself into the lower forms of life, the beasts, and you is granted the power contained in your intellect and judgment to be born into the higher forms of the divine".

Dr Mann is a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Life Coach, who helps parents, adults in transition, and business executives achieve positive goals. morris.mann.com
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