Beneath our division lies a crisis of dehumanization

Vicente Del Real argues that modern social and political divisions are contributing to a crisis of dehumanization. Writing for OSV News, Del Real suggests that while people have more ways to connect than in the past, they struggle to maintain relationships with those who disagree or cause hurt.

Del Real notes that people often organize into silos based on shared political views and perspectives, which can lead to treating disagreements as questions of human dignity. He asserts that individuals do not lose their dignity due to mistakes, sins, or differing opinions.

To illustrate this challenge, Del Real references the parable of the prodigal son. He points out that the father in the story embraced and restored his son despite the son's failures, refusing to let those mistakes define his son's permanent identity. Del Real identifies the core Christian challenge as learning to see others as God sees them.