Recent popes have had much to say about human dignity, but this is not the right time to talk about dignity. Everyone in today's society believes in human dignity -- or at least in their own dignity, if more questionably in the dignity of others. So for example, the Black Lives Matter movement is about dignity; so is the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization. In short, all of identity politics -- right or left, national or racial or sexual -- and most of the short tempers tearing society apart are due to people intensely feeling and vigorously protecting their own dignity, something that used to be called the deadly sin of pride.
Instead, it would be much better to regain a healthy appreciation for the absurdity of all humans, most especially ourselves. We must learn to laugh at ourselves again.
We have dignity because we are creatures made in the image of God, and we are absurd because we are creatures made in the image of God. It is possible to have a finite image of the infinite, but it is not possible without distortion. God is eternal, but we are mortal; God is omniscient, but we are ignorant; God is omnipotent, but we are weak. Yet we really do bear His image; we are like fun house mirrors held up to God.
The kind of absurdity I am talking about should lead to humility as well as humor, but it is not degrading. The image of God we bear is inevitably distorted, but it need not be desecrated; we may be unavoidably comical, but we do not have to be corruptions.
