A Journey Towards Understanding: True and False Dignity

Before proceeding with any discussion of dignity, I need to say a little about the work I do in London, which clearly has an influence on my understanding of the subject. My place of work is St. Joseph’s Hospice in the East End of London. We offer a service of palliative care to several London boroughs, particularly Tower Hamlets, Hackney and City, and Newham. From the point of view of economic indicators, these boroughs are amongst the poorest in the whole UK, but in terms of cultural, ethnic, and religious variation they are wonderfully rich and vibrant. As I write, St. Joseph’s is in the midst of celebrating the centenary of its foundation. During the first years of the 20th century, a small group of nuns, from the Irish Sisters of Charity, came from Dublin to London’s East End to minister to the sick and poor. On 15 January 1905, the hospice took care of its first inpatient.