The Value and Worth of Human Life

In a society that, in daily life, glosses over questions about human nature, but focuses more on results, conveniences, pleasure, status, and accomplishments, it’s easy to devalue what it means to be a human. Pope St. John Paul II, along with both of his successors, was a great proponent of the universal dignity of every unique human person in themselves, regardless of their accomplishments. The beauty of human life and our inherent value is not defined by results. Results can and should flow from our basic nature, but ultimately, like anything else, we are defined by what we are, not what we do. When it comes to presenting a precise concept of human nature, secular society offers only a part of the whole.

According to the Merriam-Webster definition 1(c) of “Man,” a human is “a bipedal primate mammal (homo sapiens) that is anatomically related to the great apes but distinguished especially by notable development of the brain with a resultant capacity for articulate speech and abstract reasoning, and is the sole living representative of the hominid family.”1 According to this, we are distinguished by a brain development that results in language and abstract reasoning. The extent of our rational qualities alone is enough to immensely value every human life. This perfectly secular description, however, lends to a definition of humanity that is devoid of our special relationship to God.

In the Image of God

The above definition is about as good as it gets for a secular society that lacks an immaterial mind or “soul.” Because of this, however, the definition lacks the depth of the most genuine human disposition: love. According to the ancient Greek philosophers, a definition consisted of a genus and specific difference (e.g. a unique quality found only in human nature). Aristotle, nearly 2,400 years ago, saw man as both “ζῶον πολιτικόν” (political or social creature)2 and “ζῷον λόγον ἔχον” (creature having language or reason).3 The latter inspired the Latin scientific name homo sapiens which was coined by Carl von Linné in 1758.4 It is interesting to note, however, that the two qualities that Aristotle identifies in humans reflect the nature of God himself. First, God is a social community in Himself (Father, Son, and Spirit). Secondly, God is Reason itself and the source of reason for the whole human race. Our social and rational qualities reflect that of God himself. We truly are made in his image and likeness. We are able to understand and relate to others in the likeness of God, who is love.

The worth and dignity of human nature is an immeasurable good in itself, and some of the greatest lovers are those who are the least capable in the eyes of the world. But our society focuses on our capabilities and successes rather than our core being because it lacks God as the key to understanding our nature. We Christians are not immune to this secular way of thinking. When we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes we find ourselves avoiding and ignoring those who are impaired physically or mentally. We do not readily see God in them, rather we feel they are someone to be pitied or is perhaps a burden on others or just different. In my way-too-seldom encounters with those who are exceptionally impaired, both in my career and out in the public, I find them to be better lovers than the rest of us. In this, they are better images of God.

Worthy of Sacrificial Love

Speaking of God-like human love means something different than the way a dog loves his owner, or a she-bear loves her cubs, or the way a teenage boy loves his prom date. It is a love that is a not a result of the force of instinct. Rather, it is the superpower to act against our instincts in order to bring about good in the lives of others. Seared forever into my mind is a student with Downs Syndrome who walked across the lunch room to offer one of his classmates a pudding cup when his grandmother tragically and unexpectedly passed away. Witnessing this made me realize a number of things about human nature. First, our relationships are more than simply transactional and utilitarian. The exceptional child wanted nothing in return, just the happiness of his classmate. Secondly, sometimes we complicate love and friendship to make it more than what it truly needs to be: No matter what, through thick and thin, I got your back and I want what’s good for you. And lastly, as said earlier, human nature has the ability to say no to something that our instincts crave in order to bring about greater good for ourselves and others. Sometimes it just takes a person with Downs Syndrome to burn it into our minds and show us how simple it all really is.

This kid, being made in the image and likeness of God, manifested love in the world through his rational and social nature. God loves us and shows us we’re worthwhile just by creating us, but he has shown us our worth in a simple act of human love as well. Romans 5:8 says, God demonstrates his love for us in this that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God became man to love us in a human manner, not simply theoretically, but in a way demonstrable to us. He doesn’t love us because we are perfect and without mistakes and flaws. In this, he demonstrated the extent of his love for the imperfect. Even when we have gone astray, he thinks we’re to die for. He did it because he wanted show us a better way. Jesus has given us a model for how we should reverence the image and likeness of God in each other: with sacrificial love. This love is not lived in theory alone, but should be demonstrable in our everyday actions for our family, friends, classmates, coworkers, those we don’t like, who have offended us, and those we consider enemies. Everyone: young, old, rich, poor, sick, dying, unborn, black, tan, or white — all of us carry within us the likeness of God. 

Everyone you meet every day is worthy of sacrificial love. It is not a matter of what they have done or not done; it is a matter of what they are: an image of God. 

Footnotes

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man
  2. Aristotle, Politics, 1253a8
  3. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 1098a3-5
  4. Linné, Carl von (1758). Systema naturæ. Regnum animale (10th ed.). pp. 18, 20.
Kyle Sellnow
Kyle was born and raised in the great northern state of Minnesota. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN with a double-major in Philosophy and Catholic Studies. He then pursued a Master’s degree in Theology with an emphasis in Biblical Studies at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. After spending a year working in ministry in Minnesota, Kyle moved to Kansas City, MO in 2012 to teach Theology at Archbishop O'Hara High School. He started teaching at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School in 2017. He is deeply passionate about learning, teaching, and having friendships that truly matter. He created Love InSight to encourage men and women to follow Christ and His Church in the 21st century.

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