Illustration by Kevin Christopher M. Tee (2015)

| ˈhjuːmən ˈvaljuː |

There’s a reason God made us what we are, more than assigning us to be stewards of His creation. He also gave us the responsibility to love one another, and reminded us through His Son Jesus Christ that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Him.

A Biblical reminder of human value.

As human beings, no matter the circumstances, we all have innate human dignity. Why? Because we were born that way! The very fact that we are human, in itself, is a priori confirmation that we have dignity given to us by God. And, as true stewards of creation, one of our charges is that same human dignity, that we need to uphold: not just our own but of others’ as well.

I’m currently reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren – taking it one day at a time – and human value is one of the best ways to put together several major truths presented early on in the book: that life is a trust, and that we are called to give glory to God by loving other believers (or, in fact, loving others, for that matter). Upholding human value is, so to speak, killing two birds with one stone: to truly uphold it is to live by these two noble truths. In recognizing and accepting that every human being has intrinsic value, and acting on it by honoring it, we show our love for our fellowman – and, in doing so, glorify God. We also fulfill our God-driven purpose of taking care of His creation – in this case, his highest creation, man.

How do you contribute to upholding human value?

Definition

• The principles, standards, convictions and beliefs that people adopt as their guidelines in daily activities.
• The foundation on which professional ethics are built.
• A set of consistent measures and behaviors that individuals choose to practice in the pursuit of doing what is right or what is expected of them by society.
• Most laws and legislations are shaped by this.

Definition derived from Ask.com.