Everyone desires a life among and with others that does not diminish individual freedom and dignity, especially when it concerns their own freedom and dignity. But is such a life possible? Does not the contemporary focus on the individual and his rights undermine the coherence of society and relativize the common good? It seems that the experience of alienation proves this point by demonstrating the estrangement of the individual from the community in which he lives. Undoubtedly, Vatican II also had alienation in mind when it spoke of “the griefs and anxieties of the men of this age” that proliferate in the wake of rapid and global cultural and social transformations. Karol Wojtyła shows what is fundamentally necessary for overcoming alienation and for a meaningful life in community in any epoch through his concept of participation.

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