A view on human beings – basic principles
Every human being is an individual consisting of a body and a mind. The body is totally adapted to the ecology of planet Earth. The mind is more free and has a capacity for consciousness in the form of experience, observation and valuation of itself and its environment. Body and mind can’t be separated but are different life-functions of one wholeness – man. Harmonic interaction between mind and body plays therefore a crucial role in maintaining both physical and mental health.
No living being has created itself – not even man – and no one can escape death. Not by own actions, nor by the actions of others. Neither can anyone totally avoid physical and mental suffering in the form of illness pain, fear and grief. In this respect every person is equal to all others. And when it comes to basic needs and conditions no one can claim superiority over any other human being. Not because of sex and race, nor because of colour of skin or social belonging.
Because all humans are equally faced with birth, life, survival, suffering and death we are also totally dependent on each other in respect to understanding, compassion and help. If I am not there for a fellow human being, who will be here for me when I need help?
Every person is a unique form of human life differing from all others in respect to genetic and social programming and abilities for biologic and social survival. Everyone is unique in her way to understand herself and the world, but also in her potential to rise towards higher mental and social function. This implies that every human being must be attri-buted an absolute value which can’t be compared with any other form of value. And everyone of us knows in some way of this absolute value of a living person. In this lies the inherent dignity of man.
In spite of the unique form and qualities of every person we also are social beings and will, with help from our conscious awareness of self and the surrounding world, use our intellectual and emotional capacity to build complicated communities in which we live together.
As every person is unique in respect to everyone else, and in some way is aware of her absolute value as a living creature, everyone also has to be treated with deep respect of her basic human value and dignity. Offending someone in this sense will constitute a heavy negative strain on this persons capacity for harmonic mental function, wich in turn will retroact on the ability to maintain and advance her biologic, mental and social function. As I want to be judged and treated by others, so I must judge and treat them as well.