Dignity

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This article is about the term dignity. For other uses, see Dignity (disambiguation).

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Dignity in humans involves the earning or the expectation of personal respect or of esteem. To esteem persons or things means to assign to them a high value. Esteem for persons or things assesses their value as high.

1 The definition of dignity
2 Other comments
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The definition of dignity

According to Webster's dictionary, the word dignity means the quality of being worthy of esteem or honor; worthiness; i.e. the quality of being highly valued.

If dignity is a quality then the definition above suggests that, for example, an infant has less dignity than adult, because people are not usually born with all their qualities. However, any newborn has already had his or her dignity, as he or she has soul, and this dignity is not a part or a half, but full human dignity, which belongs to every human being. The concept of dignity is, first of all, an infinite concept, which suggests that there is the highest worth of each person - his or her dignity and that even an infant has as equal dignity as an adult. Thus, dignity is not a quality of being highly valued but it is the highest human value itself.

Unfortunately, from the beginning of life people's dignity is subjected to variety of judgements from other people. So people learn to perceive their dignity as a number of finite, measurable qualities, merits, achievements, because people around them constantly estimate, evaluate, appreciate them. Moreover, people learn to judge other people as well, and they forget about the ideal meaning of the word dignity. However, when someones dignity is hurt the feeling of indignation is awakened. It is because the ideal true value in people calls to fight for justice, for dignifying their humanity.

[edit] Dignity and the truth

"Let’s say that the word truths applies to any structure, any history, and the word the truth – applies to a man’s dignity. When we comprehend something about the world’s structure, nature, society, and about what happened, is happening, and will happen we learn truths. When we find out something about a man’s value, we learn the truth. Facts of anatomy, physiology, psychology, and sociology are derived by correspondent sciences; they are truths. The truth about a man can be explained only by a sage, a philosopher. The truth is a subject of philosophy. People keep the truth; it is among them; it is known to people; it excites and allures them. A lie that ennobles us is dearer than base truths because it is not a lie at all, but the truth – elevating human dignity. On the one hand it is a lie in relation to truths; on the other hand it is a truth in relation to the truth. The more a man is elevated in our consciousness the closer we are to the truth. Because the truth – is an ideal man; his human dignity is ideally high; it is his ideally high price. We are not talking about the man’s qualities (boldness, honesty, and kindness), instead we are talking specifically about the man’s dignity, its safety, and violations of it. When we ask, “What is the weather tomorrow?” we want to know true information about the weather, truths, and nothing more. But when we say, “Tell me the truth, what is the weather tomorrow?” immediately, the relation to human dignity is regarded. The thought occurs that, for some reason, pitying me or wishing to cause harm, people may lie to me, they may say an untruth. You can say many truths about the [Suez Canal]: when it was opened, what size it is, length, and so on. But in the book “The Truth about the Suez Canal,” some kind of untruth is refuted. Where the truth is – a possible untruth is assumed, a possible lie, or deceit. It is ridiculous to ask a machine about the truth. It may make a mistake but it cannot lie. A lie is the conscious humiliation of a man, of his dignity. Any debate about the truth or untruth, even in a small case, is eventually the debate about human dignity." Simon Soloveychik(Parenting For Everyone, Book1part1, Ch.34)

[edit] Dignity and goodness

To do goodness to a man means to increase his dignity. It is painful for a person when someone disrespects the person. It is because respect elevates the person's value, his or her dignity; disrespect humiliates. When parents ask their teenagers for respect, they actually ask their children to do goodness to their parents. Unfortunately, when relationships are already too bad, disrespect is mutual. Teenagers especially need their dignities to be highly appreciated. They crave for their parents’ respect, not in return for their respect, but for the sake of their dignity. If parents don’t understand this fact and continue to complain, to accuse, to blame, they continue to encroach upon their children’s dignities. They continue doing the opposite to goodness, i.e. evil. Thus, from both sides people dig the "tunnels of evil" (Simon Soloveychik).

Instead, asking for forgiveness is the first step to begin doing goodness to other person, to increase the other person’s dignity. Thankfulness is another act of goodness. Admiration, care, excitement about another person, these actions are parts of love, which is the greatest goodness and which always elevates dignity.

The difficulty in human relationships comes from the fact that there are two related movements: from man to the world, and from the world to man. If from childhood a person's dignity is guarded, the person forms the right image of him/herself, and of the world. There is a famous saying: "I am OK, and you are OK." However, the humiliation of human dignity begins in childhood and people get used to it, they acquire low self-esteem and learn to not value other people as well. Thus, from generations to generations, as a contagious disease, human dignity continues to be encroached and desperately needs a defense as goodness needs defense from evil.

[edit] Dignity and Freedom

Society is free when it has free people. People are free when they learned the truth about themselves, when they carry the truth with dignity, when they are internally free. Internal freedom is freedom from fear to be judged, to be charged a low price, freedom from doubts about dignity.

The only fear internally free man does have is fear to lose his honor. Free man is afraid to go against his conscience. When one encroaches upon another, this person receives an internal message of doing something wrong, doing evil. This message about what is good and what is evil is called conscience. However, when someone is encroaching upon this person the same message about the violation of the justice raises in the person's soul raising feeling of indignation. Indignation is caused by the act of encroaching someone's dignity. The process of dignifying someone's dignity makes people feel freer because it is the process of personality liberation.

Society knows freedom when its people know dignity.

[edit] Other comments

Note, of course, that not all expressions of respect confer dignity. One can respect and/or esteem the skills of (say) criminals while despising those same criminals, disrespecting their persons and affording them no dignity at all...

The first sentences in the constitution of Germany translate as: "Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.