深めて！南山GLS　学生の活躍　GLS教員リレーエッセイ

You will often hear the motto "For human dignity" (人間の尊厳 ) at Nanzan University. Most people reading this essay know that it originates from the Latin words "hominis dignitati", but what do these words mean? I believe the true essence of human dignity lies within each of us and between us, and I would like to share some of my personal life experiences to illustrate what I mean.

My dad used to say, "Son, becoming more human is a lifelong journey." What he meant is that we have a chance each day to become better people, and our consistent efforts will make a great impact over time. He shared several examples of what it means to become more human through his life stories, especially of his life mistakes. Through his stories, he modelled for me the importance of not being too proud to admit fault and to also put effort into growing from our mistakes. One meaning of human dignity, I believe, is having the ability to examine ourselves, being willing to look at our warts, and then working diligently to become better people. I admit, though, this can be easier said than done at times.

My mom often talked about the importance of doing something nice, no matter how small, for other people each day. She exposed me to Christianity, Boy Scouts, and volunteer work from a young age where I was able to get involved in many activities to help other people. She often mentioned that "helping others is helping ourselves" and "it doesn't cost you anything to be nice." Getting involved in these activities helped me to appreciate these words through practice by recognizing the positive effects that I can have on others, and myself, by being in service to other people. I think another meaning of human dignity involves positively connecting with others and recognizing that we all have a chance to mutually develop by helping each other.

In a famous essay entitled "The Heart of a Teacher", an educator named Parker Palmer once wrote:

I am a teacher at heart, and there are moments in the classroom when I can hardly hold the joy. When my students and I discover uncharted territory to explore, when the pathway out of a thicket opens up before us, when our experience is illumined by the lightning-life of the mind--then teaching is the finest work I know. But at other moments, the classroom is so lifeless or painful or confused--and I am so powerless to do anything about it that my claim to be a teacher seems a transparent sham (p. 1).

As an educator, I have returned to these words many times during my career and most often during times where my work experiences (in class and outside of class) have felt "so lifeless or painful or confused" as Palmer mentions. It is at these moments that my dad's words "Son, becoming more human is a lifelong journey" have echoed in my mind. At those times, I have also recalled the numerous symbiotically rewarding experiences through being in service to others at church, Boy Scouts, and volunteer activities that my mom exposed me to. Then I have eventually come to realize that we are all on our own life journeys and while we all make mistakes, and we all will connect with one another to greater or lesser degrees, our journeys will be more rewarding by embracing the "human dignity" within ourselves and between one another. And so the journey to becoming more human continues.

By Brad Deacon