7/29/2019 Year of Faith Companion 2013-01-27

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Integral Humanism???What is that? An integral humanism is when we look at the individual as a whole person, with their many differeaspectsphysical, intellectual, emotional, psychological and spiritual. When thinking about what is good for a pson we must consider all of these aspects, the whole person, to make a decision about what is going to be good fthem. An example of this how a school operates. While the teachers focus on the intellectual development of tstudents, the school also hires psychologists, physical education teachers, nurses and others to ensure that whostudent is provided for.

An Isolated Humanism in an Inhuman HumanismThere are many ideologies and practices which do not look at the whole person. Take for example, an employwho overworks his/her employees because he sees them as merely physical labor to make a profit. In this case temployer does not have a vision of integral humanism because he/she is only looking at one aspect of the persoWhen we isolate one dimension of a person or one part of their personality, we no longer have a humanist a

proach, but rather reduce the person to a stereotype (not seeing them as they really are) or,worse, reduce them to an object and treating them as a means to an end. Sadly, there aremany examples from around the world and in our own lives where people are not treated aspersons, but rather reduced in some way to workers or some other demographic.

Turning the Tide

We do not have to accept a world and a country that does not support a view of the whole per-son. We can and should expect more from one another and from ourselves. Why should we em-brace an integral humanist view? Why should we seek to support the whole person? JacquesMaritain answers this for usit is for the sake of a better life for their fellows and for the con-crete good of the community of human individuals: so that the humble truth of brotherly lovemay advance...to the permeation of the social order and the structures of common life. (TrueHumanism) If we our world is to be reborn, we must improve how we see and treat one an-other. In order to do this we must reawaken our cultureart, music and dramawhere we cansee the beauty and goodness or each human, as a whole and complete person.

27 January 2013

Supporting an Integral Humanism

This new humanism...is allthe more human since itdoes not worship man, but

has a real and effectiverespect for human dignity

and for the rights of humanpersonality.

Jacques Maritain,True Humanism

CHALLENGE

This week, take an inventof your whole person. Howyou doing spiritually, intel

tually, emotionally, psychocally and physically.

What is one thing you canstart doing to improve in earea? Eat healthier? Pray e

day? Start reading a boo

2012-2013

The ultimate goal is a full-bodied hu-

manism. And does this not mean the ful-illment of the whole man and of every

man? A narrow humanism, closed in ontself and not open to the values of thepirit and to God who is their source,ould achieve apparent success, for manan set about organizing terrestrial reali-ies without God. But "closed off from

God, they will end up being directedgainst man. A humanism closed offrom other realities becomes inhuman."

Populorum progessio, 42