herman de vries:
article 1.1 of german constitutional law reads: "the dignity of the human being is inviolable. to respect and protect it is the obligation of all state power." i have noticed that there are many people who don’t even know this fundamental statement of our basic rights! dignity sounds almost oldfashioned. it was in southern india that i perceived dignity most clearly: before us on the street an old farmer, barefoot, clad in loincloth and turban with a short white beard, hoe on his shoulder, conscious of his duty in life, strode toward his small field; just as his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather hundreds of years ago worked the same piece of earth to feed their families. he wasn’t in a hurry, he didn’t loiter, he walked upright. do we know this demeanor? dignity for all! for children and the elderly, for students, teachers, employees, employers, for the sick, the dying, for drug addicts, for prisoners, for the victims of crimes, for foreigners and asylum-seekers. one’s own dignity always embraces the dignity fundamental obligation. to realize dignity in our society is a great collective art. art lets us experience, perceive. art has to do with processes of becoming aware and with being aware. |