Dignity

Depending who you talk to, there are many interpretations of the word dignity. Those of you who read me often know that when faced with something like this I first go to seek what God and the Bible says about it:

Matthew 25:35–25:40 - 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

* [25:37–40] The righteous will be astonished that in caring for the needs of the sufferers they were ministering to the Lord himself.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church insists the "dignity of the human person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God." "All human beings," says the Church, "in as much as they are created in the image of God, have the dignity of a person." The catechism says, "The right to the exercise of freedom belongs to everyone because it is inseparable from his or her dignity as a human person."

So, dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically with inherent nobility and worth.

Said another way, then, is dignity the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect?

I share this with you today because as we prepare to start 2020, a new year and a new decade, I think it is important to be mindful of dignity. We see lack if it all around us, both online and offline. And we lack dignity mainly when we are not treating each other as such.

We can blame this, if we want, on social media, politicians, other people in our personal lives or work environment. But the buck stops with us, I think. We have the sole power to hold and give dignity.

Confidence, success, respect, and integrity are some of the benefits of dignity. And when we treat others with dignity is the best way to see others treat us the same way.

Likewise, just as a good friend is found by first being a friend, and happiness is never found by the person shopping for it … rather, genuine happiness is the byproduct of making someone else happy.

Some suggestions to help develop these qualities are Zig Ziglar Tweets, IG posts, and Podcasts; plus Daily Reflections from Dynamic Catholic; and more personally Manhood Monday.

So, no matter what your interpretation of dignity is, the best way to describe it to others is to live it.


“The fastest way to success is to replace bad habits with good habits.” -- Tom Ziglar



Photo: Sunrise After the Blue Hour - Color Photograph Copyright 2020 Frank J Casella


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