Left to right: María Lladró, Nuria Chinchilla, Esperanza Lozano and Elena Postigo attend the IV Women and Leadership in Health Forum (Photo: Clínica Universidad de Navarra)
True social progress, that which aims for the deep fulfillment of every human being, depends on a very specific activity. One that we tend to lose sight of when we think about what makes us better, as people or as a society. True social progress depends on care, care of others and of oneself. This was an underlying message from experts in the fields of economics, family studies, ethics and deontological ethics at the IV Women and Leadership in Health Forum organized by the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, which was held on September 27 in Madrid.
Caring is an essentially human activity, which reveals our ability to acknowledge others. “Care stems from the recognition of the being and dignity of another, understood as an intrinsic value of every person, from the time they begin to exist until they no longer do,” Elena Postigo, director of the Bioethics Institute of the Francisco de Vitoria University, pointed out in her presentation. When care and attention to the vulnerable – not only physically, but also emotionally –is left out of the picture, it’s a sign of dehumanization and an uncivilized society.
There are plenty of signs that this dehumanization is rampant in our present-day society, where screens, immediacy and utilitarianism have rooted themselves in our interpersonal relationships. María Lladró, economist and expert in creative thinking and collective intelligence, stressed the importance of care in the face of today’s mercantilist logic, which essentially cancels out the logic of love: “Rebuilding society means taking care of people, companies, institutions and the planet.”
And of oneself. Because as Marian Rojas, psychiatrist and best-selling author, pointed out, “Accepting objective imperfection is key.” That is, knowing yourself, accepting that you cannot achieve everything and learning to give up certain objectives for your own good. Knowing how to find time for reflection, for serenity, and understanding that “we heal through relationships and connections.” Because we can only help others when we’re OK ourselves.
It is no secret that care and dedication to others are qualities that have traditionally been associated with women. Even now, more often than not, it is women who request work day reductions to dedicate more time to their children or loved ones who need their support. Women are also the ones who usually sacrifice their career for the same reason, as Nuria Chinchilla, economist and professor at IESE Business School, demonstrated with statistics.
However, these qualities, dedication and service, also agree with men, because they’re human, too. That’s why the increase in male nurses is good news, a profession that has traditionally been associated with the female gender. Teresa Llácer, director of Nursing at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra in Madrid, pointed out in her intervention that people who want to go into nursing are already special; they already have a disposition to care for others, regardless of their sex. That we all practice these virtues, and that society recognizes them as examples of human excellence, is necessary to build an authentic civilization of care.
And that is true social progress, the true fulfillment of the human being. To live in a society where others and oneself are acknowledged as deserving of attention and support. A society that offers care and, above all, has the person at its center.
Translated from Spanish by Lucia K. Maher