Human Dignity and Planet Protection

by Letters Editor · May 21, 2015

Antonio G Tonin, East London

Congratulations on The Southern Cross�s first-class, hard-hitting editorial �Trauma Shakes Nation� (May 6). Why should it not be the official stance of the whole of the Catholic Church in this glorious land of ours?

“The world economic system pays scant regard to the value of the environment.”

For the poor, all 12 million of them, according to the latest government statics, nothing has changed. They are still poor, with inadequate housing, a worse than Third World education system, almost non-existent access to real human protection and justice, no national political champion to promote the upliftment of these folk by providing secure, ongoing employment to support their dignity as human beings.

In a country with its small very rich elite and huge number of the poor, the wealth should be distributed so that everyone has the opportunity to attain a dignified standard of living. If we had such a system, then those who do not want to work would only have themselves to blame.

Perhaps we need a national debate to clearly define the difference between standard of living and quality of life, with particular focus on how we manage to sustainably use our very limited natural environment in its totality.

The world economic system pays scant regard to the value of the environment.

The fact is that it is priceless, because without it, quite frankly, there is no life. Let us humbly admit that we have not, from time immemorial, taken full responsibility for our only home, Planet Earth. Action is needed now.