Dignity....
All people are created equal
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity
Communities transform through partnerships, not handouts
Human dignity is paramount in relieveing human distress.
What do you believe?
What does Dignity mean to you?
What would you add to this?
Listen to this song and reflect on what it means.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tms-ayMYzb8
How does it protray dignity?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Enjoy!
ReplyDeletehey everyone! monica is the bomb
ReplyDeletewoohoo all logins working! Remember everyone if you are having any issues with any of your logins please vistit the help desk on second floor and the very end of the building. They will help you and you will be less stressed :D
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I think I screwed up with my log in. This is Maria, my username is my email.. oops.
ReplyDeleteAnyway..
When I think of dignity, two things stand out- respect, and equality. In our society today, I feel there is a stigma with individuals who are impaired in any way- hearing, seeing, learning, etc. We are all connected to it in various ways; for example, i have a very close cousin with Down Syndrome. That is a more serious impairment, but regardless- who is he/she to judge? Our world needs to make radical changes, and acceptance is one of them. We need to open our eyes, and start using our hearts instead of what may have been at one point engraved in our minds.
Another form of dignity, to me, is self-respect. Have good character, because it will show through the actions you take. When you have dignity, you have PRIDE in doing what's right. To me, that's extremely important.
That music video is very powerful; it showed me what equality really stands for. It doesn't necessarily mean we are all equal on the "outside", because lets face it. We're all different, we're all unique. It means that we're equal on the INSIDE, and that needs to be what matters in our world.
Also, i had forgotten to mention what i had done today to make me feel proud. Today i have gone to all my classes on time and made a conscientious effort to pay direct attention at all times to all my professors! :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the statement "Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity." I notice all the time people disregarding the respect others deserve, not necessarily on purpose but still don't even try to understand. Dignity to me means that everybody, deserves the right to be treated with respect and treated fairly. I would add that every person has an individual view on certain topics and before you make judgements on certain individuals don't automatically associate them with a stereotype, stereotypes are not always true.
ReplyDeleteBoth the song posted on here and the music video in class portray dignity by inspiring self-respect. Today I feel proud for calling one of my best friends moms to talk because I remembered that seven months ago from today one of my best friends was killed in a car accident and I know how much it means to her that I show I still remember and care.
Since we were little we were taught not to stare at people who had something wrong with them on the outside, but come to think of it now we are just hurting their feelings even more by not looking at them as a normal individual. If someone has a disability they may be just like you and probably are just as capable of doing the same things as you and me, but a lot of people don't look past what is on the outside of a person and just judge them off what they see. I believe that dignity is the ability to stand strong and to express yourself no matter who you are or what your condition may be. The song posted on here is trying to tell you to actually look past how someone is on the outside, and to take risks because you never know when you'll be successful, and accomplish something that you never thought you would be able to do before. So going out and trying different things could make you a better person and talk to people that you never thought you would talk to before, you would be surprised how many things you could have in common. Don't just judge anything by its cover, get to know the person/thing before you make any assumption on them/it. Today I feel proud of myself because I have accomplished all of my goals for today which are finishing my homework and getting everything organized in my room and to meet new friends in my classes so I can get to know new people.
ReplyDeleteIn order to have dignity, one must be proud of themselves. I believe this because in order to be proud of oneself, one must have self-respect and think that they have a place in society. There are many different types of people in the world, but no one is perfect. Even the so called “normal” people have something that separates them from other people around them. They may just be hiding it. In order to have a strong community, each person needs to come together and show dignity towards everyone; even if they don’t always agree with everything. There will then be pride within the community as a whole. If I had to add to this, I would just say a possibility on how to fix the treatment towards the ones that aren’t considered “normal.” In reality, I believe there is no “normal” and we should treat everybody the same.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the video, I believe that dignity and being proud go hand in hand. By definition, dignity is “bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect.” When you have respect for yourself, you will feel proud. This song makes it apparent that everyone should do something to make you proud. Something that I did today to make myself proud was finding time to go to work out between all my classes.
Hey! The thing that I have done today to make myself proud is that I have gone to all of my classes and fully participated in each. Not only with verbal responses but the non-verbals which we have learned are even more important.
ReplyDeleteI believe that under no circumstance can one person be considered better than another. We are all equal. It is simply how we were created to be. In my opinion, to have dignity in yourself is to have pride in yourself and self worth. I also believe that dignity goes hand in hand with respect. Everyone deserves this. Dignity is not something you earn or have to fight for. If only everyone understood this, the world we live in would be a much better place. I would add that in the absence of dignity, we are left with disrespect and sometimes hatred. Rather than seeing with our eyes, we need to see with our hearts. Differences between individuals should never justifies a loss of dignity or respect.
After watching the video it was very clear to me how dignity was portrayed. I think the message was that we can have dignity in ourselves when we respect others. We need to "step out of the ordinary" and stand up for what is right. The line that spoke to me the most was, "realize that to question is how we grow." If we never question our ways, they will never change. We cannot wait on the world to change as John Mayer so nicely puts it. We need to be the change we want to see in the world.
Coyer, I really liked what you said about associating people with sterotypes. While sterotypes may provide some information, they never tell the whole story. So often we go through our day making judgments about people with just one look. It is almost like we have been programed to do so. The only solution is to step out of our comfort zones and first get to know someone before judgements are made.
ReplyDeleteJosh Kellner-
ReplyDeleteI will agree that dignity to me means respect and equality in every aspect of life. This can be referred to many instances such as: in the work place, with elders, with disabled persons, with different races, and something as simple as family. In order to see these instances you need to believe in yourself first and from that you will have the confidence to stand up and speak out if you believe someone is being treated poorly or unfairly.
Could you have too much dignity?
"But come to think of it now we are just hurting their feelings even more by not looking at them as a normal individual." This is so true. People who have a physical impairment that is noticeable truly want us to look past the "problem" and treat them normally. They can see us turn our heads or not interact with them. I think it would show an enormous amount of dignity to walk up to a man in a wheel chair and ask him how his day was, than it would be to try and open every door for him and treat him like he can't do things by himself. I have a family member in a wheel chair and he thinks its annoying and disrespectful when someone won't let him open his own door or if they treat him like a child when in reality he could probably teach them a thing or two about his disability.
As for the youtube song, it reminds me that every day someone can be impacted by the way you act. You need to show your dignity daily because if you "take a day off" you could have missed a golden opportunity to help someone.
I believe everyone has the right to feel dignity. In my perspective, dignity is akin to acceptance which, in effect, grows respect of not only others, but of your own self. Once you take away that right, once you place someone in a box (which can be stereotyping or a judgement based on the first impression) or force them to follow society's "guidelines" called norms, there is a degradation of the relationships people have with others & their own selves. We are created equal, each person with their own circumstances, but often we forget how to treat one another as equals due to our ideas of some circumstances being "unusual, different, abnormal, or wrong." We create disparity between ourselves & people are left on the outside, feeling as if they are not worth much or anything at all. If you take away that person's right to be accepted by others for who they are, you will break a community apart, little by little. When differences cause us to despise working together, there is no partnership & thus, no community. As for human distress, it is definitely related to dignity. How would you feel if you were not able to feel the comfort of being accepted by anyone just because you are one way & others are another? You'd feel pretty left out, cast away most likely. Who is deemed acceptable & who is deemed unacceptable & why? Who sets these limitations that make us reject others & disrespect them? How can we be okay with hurting people with this form of isolation & marginalization? There is no way we can be happy on our own; we are social beings that need interaction. If that interaction is negative, then we naturally avoid it, thus putting ourselves in conflict with our very nature. If the interaction is non-existent, the effects are even worse. We begin to reject ourselves, losing all sense of the dignity we so need. To summarize it all, if you do not accept one another (which is the very essence of dignity) then there is loss of interaction, then loss of togetherness or community, then loss of acceptance of self due to this lacking...& ultimately that box we were placed in makes us feel as though we're being suffocated, left on our own. That is the distress.
ReplyDeleteThe video portrays dignity as being willing to rise above the norms of society, to become what other people may not accept, but to be willing to work towards having a sense of acceptance for yourself by doing things that make you proud of yourself. Today...I haven't done anything to make me feel proud...I never really feel proud of myself, I always have a lot I need to improve upon so I don't want to waste time feeling happy about my mediocre accomplishments when I could be striving to accomplish so much more. I guess therein lies my sense of dignity; I can rise above my own limitations by not being caught up in what people tend to consider "good enough." Anyhow, I just don't feel proud. -shrugs-
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ReplyDeleteSorry but first I must say that I finally figured this out! Also, thank you Coyer for helping me, so anyhow lets get started. :)
ReplyDeleteDignity can be described as a characteristic, a feeling of self-respect, or even pride in not allowing oneself to be put down. The preceding passage encapsulates these ideas and not only for a single person. For me, I can say I agree with this theory of how dignity should be expanded beyond the individual and should be held as a standard in a community. If we are unable to have dignity for our friends, family and neighbors what is the point in believing we have dignity ourselves? As one of my favorite quotes by Charlotte Elizabeth Aisse explains “I could never love where I could not respect.” I feel this supports the passage’s belief and expands upon the idea of binding a community together through caring for one another and seeing others as a human, not just a face in the crowd. With that I am lead to add to the passage that, while dignity and respect are the key components that bind one another’s trust and gratitude, it is ultimately love that allows communities to come together. Dignity cannot be obtained if one cannot love or feel compassion for themselves or others. Now onto what I’m proud of myself for today. Well, it’s fairly early in the day right now, so not much has happened but I’m proud of myself for waking up early enough to see the sunrise, allowing myself to get a jump start on and being able to enjoy a couple more hours of my day, and also for already finishing some assignments this early in the morning. I hope everyone has a great day!
Too many people do things to make other people happy. They get peer pressured into doing things that they don't really want to do, but their friends want them to do. They do it to feel accepted and sometimes it's hard to go against what your friends believe. People need to do things for themselves and be their own person. That way, you'll be making yourself proud for sticking up for yourself and for what you personally believe is right. When the song says "step out of the ordinary" that's what it makes me think of. And when it says we "we need to make a change" I think it's saying we need to change the way people look at each other as. People judge each other. It's sadly always been that way. Like it says, all people are created equal so all people should be treated equal. Everyone deserves to be treated the same and with the same amount of respect. No matter how different they are from you. People need to realize that.
ReplyDeleteDignity is in a different form in this song.It makes one look deep down and see who one really is and how lucky alot of us are to live the lives we live. Alot of the youth today do not volunteer in their community. People who are impaired are normal people and want to be treated like that. Most do not do that, it's a fact they are looked at differently which needs to stop. Now days everyone judges a book by its cover witch I have done and am not proud of it. It's what one does but one can change that I belive.
ReplyDeleteLooking in a mirror one needs to evaluate their self and see who they really are. One can change that though very simply and I hope to do that every day. Everyone, no matter who they are one should show dignity to every one they meet, friend or foe. Everyone deserves to be shown this. Ones goal should be to do things that make you feel proud every day.
And today the thing i have done to make me feel proud is i sent a birth day card to my father and also called to wish him a happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteI believe that dignity means equal rights for everyone. No matter where you are from or what you look like, everyone should be treated equally. For one to have dignity they must respect others, have faith, and be proud. Everyone deserves to have dignity, although we may not agree with each other on certain things in life but the most important thing to give to one another is respect. Everyone is unique in their own ways and one should learn from others to see the world through someone else's eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe song portrays dignity because in the part where she sings "i'm on my way can't stop me now" it's telling that nothing can stop us in our lives no matter what it may be. we are who we are and if you are proud and have dignity it will take you very far in life. The thing that i have done today that made me proud was during lunch when i asked someone that was sitting alone if they wanted to join my friends and I. Everyone deserves to have a friend and I feel thankful that I got meet somebody new. That makes me proud because if i were that person I woud've wanted the same thing to happen.
When asked to describe what dignity means to me, I think of two things; ones own dignity toward them self and dignity toward other people: Holding your head high without looking down on those around you; Sticking to your morals and values, no matter what the crowd thinks; Living with integrity. God created everyone equally and I think there is no reason for anyone to think otherwise. Unfortunately, over the years, many people have granted themselves the power to put others below them. Whether its because someone has a different skin color, low income, a unique style of clothes, minimal material possessions, along with many other things. I believe the people who place themselves on a pedestal have no dignity toward others. Regardless if your a strong individual, you will feel excluded and/or inferior if the majority of the society is following a glamorized lifestyle, body type, etc.
ReplyDeleteDignity is not only a form of respect, its an active lifestyle choice. By throwing people who are so often labeled as "different" into a mainstream music video really displays equality. In the song the words,"Me and all my friends, We're all misunderstood. They say we stand for nothing, there's no way we ever could" accurately describes the struggle that the people in this music video face. No one, unless being part of these sub cultures, can explain what that lifestyle is like. By John Mayer representing these people and begging the world to understand, to have dignity, he himself is showing a great deal of dignity.
I made myself proud today because I have spend literally my entire day studying. This was never EVER the case in high school.
Dignity.
ReplyDeleteDignity to me is a combination of treating everyone with respect and its about self worth. When I think of dignity the issue that stands out most to me is the fact that people need to respect themselves first to be able to respect others. If you don't respect yourself how are you going to be able to understand enough about others to do the same? But this is where treating others equally comes in, in order to honor yourself you need to have respect for others and treat them with respect. And I'm not just talking about others meaning people with a disability, I'm talking about anyone who is around you. Everyone is different from the person next to them, and maybe its hard to see the opinions of others, but thats where dignity needs to come in. In a way it all comes down to the golden rule- treat others they way you want to be treated. Its as simple as that.
To comment on the song, it inspires the idea of self respect and how you should not just think about doing something to make you proud but actually do something that will make you feel proud. The video we watched in class was very moving because it proved that we are all the same no matter what. What have I done today to make me proud? Well besides actually doing homework and going to class, I guess you could say that i'm proud of myself for just getting used to college and living on my own..
well i already had one post but guess what?...my computer shut off. What I was trying to say is that i agree with what it says. People should be treated with the same dignity. It shouldnt matter of their race, ethnicity, or if they have a disability or not. Dignity means a few things to me. People are all created equal and we should try to remember that. People in this world dont realize anymore that we are with all the hate against people and their beliefs and/or religion. Thats one thing that i emphasize on. I wouldnt add much to the thing but i would just focus on what it says in the third line. "Communities transform through partnerships, not handouts" to me that really sticks out. Instead of us standing around and watching we should come together and make things happen.
ReplyDeleteThe song really made me think, what have i dont to make me feel proud? I thought about it and there is a few things that ive done to make me proud. Ive gotten what i need to get done for school, just like i am now. Ive made it threw practice again and just make it threw the day smoothly. Those things make me feel a little bit proud i guess.
If everyone in the world had human dignity we would probably not even having this blog, but the sad things not everyone does. Dignity to me means treating with people with the utmost respect and making every feel like they are being honored in some sort of way no matter who they are. People have suffered their whole lives because people have not expressed dignity towards then and most of the time the people who suffer cannot help what is making people not treat them like a normal person, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to be normal to only receive dignity, everyone should receive it. I believe that no matter what disability a person has or what a person looks like that they should be treated as if they were the most honored person in the world. One thing that I would add is that it is the key to all human success when everyone is treated with the greatest respect. After listening to the song I can’t think of anything else that portrays dignity better because I feel that the thing number one thing that makes people feel proud is helping other people feel proud. The way that I me feel proud today is I helped my roommate when she really needed someone’s help.
ReplyDeletehello
ReplyDeleteJosh, What you said about your family member, really stood out to me, I never thought of it that way. That they would find more respect and appreciate it more if you just smiled and said hi than to think that they need help with everyday things.
ReplyDeleteFinally got this working!
ReplyDeleteI believe that all human beings are born equal and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their lifetime. The dictionary definition of dignity is the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect. I believe that no matter who you are, you are worthy of respect. A famous quote by Aristotle states that "Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them." I completely agree with this statement because it is stating that if you work to achieve something then it is a much higher compliment than getting it handed to you. I also agree with how communities form through partnerships and not handouts because people have to get involved for things to change. If you sit on the sidelines and watch the world around you then you aren't getting involed and you aren't going to make a difference in the world. I believe that the song portrays dignity in that if you do something to make yourself proud, it will ultimitely effect the people around you. What did I do today to make myself feel proud? I wrote a letter to my sister back at home because she is the little light of my life and I miss her!
So I messed up and have had to make a new blog account. Fun:)
ReplyDeleteAlso, through my inability to pay attention to ALL of the questions I missed answering the question about the song. To me the song portrays dignity as not only being proud of oneself but also being about to rise above the bad in life. It is the ability and the strength to see the good and life and ignore the hurt and pain that selfish and angry people need to inflict on others.
Looking back to the statement made above, I strongly agree to the message being convey; saying that all people are created equal and that everyone should be treated with dignity. This message made me come to the realization that the meaning of dignity is respect and should be the ideal ways of living. To understand one another, and to treat others with respect and equality. This is what I think of when I hear the word dignity. One thing i would add to this is that dignity is also the concept of understanding one another, knowing each other's right. The song reflect on a theme of your inner self, questioning if you have done something today to feel proud of. For me, today i have done many things to be proud of and that is knowing to manage my time; finishing my homework and still able to be there and hang out with friends.
ReplyDeleteI believe that dignity is self respect and its when you have high standards for yourself. Also its self trust, for example if you were to set your bag down in front of a crowd you have self respect knowing and trusting that they wont steal your bag. Dignity means having a token of respect for yourself and others around you, being that you see people equal to yourself. Dignity is basically telling us that its okay to accept each other for who we are...
ReplyDeletethe song makes me think about stepping out of my comfort zone and what makes me feel proud is that I help out this group organization in my old school for the Homeless and giving them food and cloths made me feel happy and proud! :)
Katelyn- I highly appreciate what you said! its the truth! if you cant respect your self, how can you respect anyone else? It doesn't matter how different you are, you should still give them respect!
ReplyDeleteSher I like when you added in there that dignity is also the concept of understanding one another, knowing each other’s right. Because that just goes back to the definiton of dignity, you have to have respect for what other people think about something. We all can hold our own opionion and respects others in the mean time, that’s dignity
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of dignity, I always seem to think of some one going out into the world, and doing what ever it takes to make a difference into someones life. By doing this, the person grows into a better person and realizes that nothing really matters what others think, as long as they feel good about their self and are out in the world to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really important that everyone should be treated equally and know we are all created equally as well. However, in our time many people judge on whats not really important, but on what we look like or what we have. Once you get past the physical barriers, we can really see the real person for who they are. For example, there are many great and giving people out there that don't have a lot of money or beautiful bodies, however sometimes those are the kinds of people that will make the biggest difference in the world and our life.
I believe the song posted is trying to show us we should go out into the world and try to be excepting to all. You never know who you can run into and how that will change your life. We should never regret anything, so always keep an open mind and give everyone a chance.
Everyday I say hi to random people I don’t know because even the little thing like saying hi to someone could change their day! I know it is a really small detail you never know how someone is felling, so when I make a new person smile that makes me proud.
I agree with how mcarlso8 said everyone no matter who they are should be treated as the most honored person. If people actually took this advice the world would be the most amazing place ever. All it takes is a little bit of time to honor someone. I also like how jhorn said, "we should stop standing around and watching we should come together and make things happen." If people stopped waiting for others to do thing and did it them selfs, it might help others realize we can all put a little effort in and make a difference together.
ReplyDeleteMy comment is for rebenson133. I really admired your post, especially the part where you said, "God created everyone equally and I think there is no reason for anyone to think otherwise. Unfortunately, over the years, many people have granted themselves the power to put others below them. Whether its because someone has a different skin color, low income, a unique style of clothes, minimal material possessions, along with many other things. I believe the people who place themselves on a pedestal have no dignity toward others." This is extremely true! None of the ways people look down upon others can be deemed right, in my eyes. They are all just superficial aspects of life that don't really matter & can change in a moment. Another aspect of dignity that your post made me remember was that of humbleness. I don't believe anyone has true dignity unless they are humble. Nearly everyone here has been saying that dignity constitutes pride, but I think that only pride coupled with a sense of humility (or humbleness) shows actual dignity. Without it, you will become exactly the type of person rebenson133 has described. I guess that's why I said in my previous post that I am not proud...but perhaps I am, just with an extremely strong sense of humility. I see so many amazing people around me & know how magnificent my Lord is that I have to remember my faults, that I can always do better. Your post really helped me to figure out what I was trying to portray when I described not being prideful (I guess I meant excessively), so thank you.
ReplyDeleteRebenson113, I really liked how you explained dignity as a lifestyle. I think that’s the perfect way to look at it especially along with your explanation of dignity as, “Holding your head high without looking down on those around you.” People need to be proud and respectful of themselves but they don’t need to be big-headed or egotistic. Being humble and respectful to everyone a person may encounter is the true sign of dignity.
ReplyDeleteKrista- i agree with you on how you said dignity means equal rights for everyone, because your right and no one is different and just because you may be different from someone else doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have respect for one another. Also how you were talking about the song and the part where she said “I’m on my way cant stop be now” I agree with what you said and how she is going to do something and no one will stop her from her decision, its like she’s following her dreams.
ReplyDeleterebenson133, i like what you said about dignity not only being a form of respect, but an active lifestyle choice. it is not only a feeling you have toward one another and yourself, but it's those feelings put into action. John Mayer does an excellent job with putting arguably the biggest problem in society into a catchy song that gets the world thinking.
ReplyDeleteI agree on what Krista said. Everyone deserves to be treated equally and with respect. It shouldn't matter if you don't agree with that person or if they're not your favorite person in the world or if they're completely opposite from you; you should still respect them. There's a reason to why they are who they are and people need to understand that so many people have many different life styles and ways of doing things.
ReplyDeleteI also agree on what Maggie said. It is important to try to make a positive difference in other people's life. By helping others, you feel a lot better about yourself too. I also agree that people judge each other by the wrong things. It sounds cheesy, but it really is what's on the inside that counts.
Maggie, I like your thought on how changing someone else's life makes you a better person and you learn to not care what people think. I think if you really care what other people think then you aren't comfortable in your skin, and you really aren't acting like your true self.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you say hi to random people. It might not be a big deal to you but if someone feels alone or depressed a simple hi could help them realize people are out there and they care. It also shows selflessness in the respect that you can talk to anyone and not judge.
I like how lscharp states that "There are many different types of people in the world, but no one is perfect." Absolutely no one is perfect, we just need to accept and respect people for who they are.
ReplyDeleteKthomps3, I really like what you had to say about if we can’t have dignity for the people around us is there a point in having dignity in ourselves, because it is always said that we put other before ourselves and this is an perfect example. It is also said that we should treat others the way we want to be treated, so if we can’t treat others with dignity and respect we shouldn’t really treat ourselves that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katelyn when she stated that everyone needs to be treated with respect and it’s not just the people who have disabilities because one may never know what someone is hiding. There’s always more to people than what we can see. And her statement that we all learned at a young age, “treat others the way you want to be treated” is exactly true.
ReplyDeleteHello All!
ReplyDeleteAmazing comments! I am just thrilled with how well you are commenting and how "real" and honest you are all being. Keep it up!
Monica
scharp i agree very much so when you say know one is normal. If some one was normal it would be wierd there for un-normal. Communities are very much stronger when every one is involved. They prosper alot more and are much cleaner through and through.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn your comment on dignity intrique me, and i would like to compliment the statement you made that dignity is a combination of respect and self worth. I agree that one must respect himself first before he can respect other because if he does not know how to love himself how would he know how to love for other. That is basically what dignity is to have respect for one self and other. That is a strong good statement there you made about dignity.
ReplyDeleteMaggie,
ReplyDeleteI really like what you thought dignity was all about. I think its great when someone goes out into the world and makes a diffence not only in someone elses life, but making one in theirs as well. I personally want to do this better and hopefully change someones life along the way as well as mine. I think it would make this world run just a little bit smoother if we all took the time to do that.