Personhood: Body, Soul, and Spirit
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity,” author Max de Pree writes. “We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.” ‘Dignity’ means the intrinsic value and worth held by every person simply by being human.
A Journey to Healing
You are special. You are worthy of respect, and so is everyone. The National Library of Medicine explains, “Each person deserves respect, and because of the human being’s dignity and inner value, the person holds a certain right that the world community must protect” (para. 8). The organization defines the person as “a unique entity consisting of body, soul, and spirit” (para. 1).
Dignity is lost through abuse and mistreatment. The CPTSD Foundation explains, “Whether it’s physical, emotional, verbal, or psychological, abuse seeks to strip away a person’s sense of autonomy, self-respect, and dignity. It leaves scars that are not always visible to the naked eye but deeply felt within the core of one’s being” (para. 4). You never know what someone is going through or what someone has been through.
The Mission: Compassion, Mercy, and Patience
Compassion means listening well. The Mend Project describes, “Instead of retreating, interrupting, interrogating, making judgmental statements or suggestions, or asking pointed or leading questions, use positive non-verbal and verbal cues to let the one in your care know that you are there to listen only” (para. 10). This involves being inviting and creating space for people to feel safe.
Matthew chapter five describes, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (v.7). Interestingly, “The word ‘mercy’ comes from the Latin word merced or merces, which means ‘price paid.’ Mercy invokes feelings of forgiveness, benevolence, and kindness,” says Compassion International. The organization furthers, “Mercy is the compassionate treatment of those in need, especially when it’s within one’s power to punish or harm them” (para. 1). Honor an individual’s dignity by acknowledging their inherent worth as a person and exercising patience.
What Makes a Person
Author C.S. Lewis writes, “You do not have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” Spirit, soul, and body – the make of a person. The National Library of Medicine explains five elements to protect dignity: acknowledging personhood; recognizing people with a disability as decision-makers of their lives; realizing the right to access information; maintaining the right to privacy; and eliminating or minimizing barriers to accessibility and inclusion” (para. 1). Individuals with disabilities have bodies, souls, and spirits – uniquely priceless.
Echoing Hills values and honors the dignity of individuals with disabilities. Our organization believes in the worth of all people, loved the same in the eyes of God. We value you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSosTocATEA
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/max_de_pree_125756 https://cptsdfoundation.org/2024/05/29/how-to-reclaim-your-dignity/#:~:text=Whether%20it’s%20physical%2C%20emotional%2C%20verbal,the%20core%20of%20one’s%20being.
https://themendproject.com/how-to-help-abuse-victims/
https://www.compassion.com/poverty/mercy-definition.htm#:~:text=Mercy%20is%20the%20compassionate%20treatment%20of%20those%20in%20need%2C%20especially,of%20forgiveness%2C%20benevolence%20and%20kindness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSosTocATEA
