IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 2 ENGLISH | Page 63

of doctrines or theories. He divulges this eclecticism in the following example, when he states:
“all philosophies and no philosophy is the best
philosophy.”1 There is also a teleological element
in this, as can been appreciated when he attests
that “man is something more than a clumsily living being: he is understanding a mission, ennobling and fulfilling it.”2
He considered human dignity as something natural, inherent in each person from birth on. His
doctrine implicitly contains the first two articles
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), which establish the tenor of the rest of
said document and international norms.
This premise of freedom and equality with dignity, the rights of all men from birth on, and the
rejection of all discrimination were basic, theoretical concepts and everyday ethical practices in the
life and work of the Apostle, respectively.
Assuring that “upon being people, we bring to life
the principle of freedom; and being intelligent, we
have the obligation to realize it,” coincides with
the content of the first article.3 The same is true
when he states: “All men are born as equals.”4
That the IDHR acknowledges that all men are
“equal in dignity and rights” entails one of the
most essential features of the system of human
rights and fundamental freedoms, their universality. In this sense, Martí explained: “social equality is nothing more than the acknowledgment of
nature’s visible equity.”5
The Apostle echoes the first article’s call for all
men who are “endowed, as they are, with reason
and conscience, should behave in a brotherly
manner towards each other,” when he writes “fraternity is no a concession; it is a responsibility.”6
About this, he also declares: “Human fraternity is
beautiful: it is moving, pure, necessary: bonhomie
is the shape it takes, union its result, shared greatness its splendid creation.”7

About equality and the condemnation of discrimination for any reason or anywhere, as this is
stated in Article 2 of the IDHR, he wrote:
“Man has no special right because he belongs to
one race or another: upon saying ‘man,’ one is already enunciating all rights.”8 In addition, “above
and beyond races, which influence nothing but
character, there is the essential human spirit that
controls and unifies them9…Races, languages,
history, religions, all these are the on-and-off
trappings under which emerge human essence
and invariability, developing and controlling
them.10
Role of family and work in the socialization of
people
Martí considered the family the foremost and essential sphere for the humanization of individuals
and work, as a legitimate means of enrichment
and the reduction of certain manifestations of
anomia:
“He who works most is the least depraved, the
one who lives most lovingly with his wife and
children. A man is not a beast made for pleasure,
like a bull or pig; instead he is a naturally superior
being who will inevitably go back to living like a
bull or pig if he does not love his wife and educate
his children.11
He believes that all human beings have the unavoidable obligation to and among societies to
work: “Idle is a public crime. Just as one has no
right to be a criminal, neither does he have a right
to be lazy. Society, too, has not indirect obligation
to feed someone who does not work for it.”12
He adds to this obligation of all to create value
through work, both for himself and society, the
need to assume personal responsibility, which is
essential for exercising freedom. “Neither men
nor peoples can shun the job of developing for
themselves, paying for their way in the world. In

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