Dignity

I value my own dignity: the empathy, tolerance, and respect others show me.

When weak or thoughtless I do not always honour the dignity of others, perhaps when they are dissimilar to me, with those I disagree with, when someone is hurtful, foolish, and at times: with the young, old, poor, or infirm.

There are moments too when I fail to treat those closest to me with dignity.

To acknowledge someone's dignity is to honour another's privacy of body, home, thoughts, feelings and identity.

As I listen, the restrained yet persistent character of the music reminds me of those with quiet dignity, and the immense value of its giving and receiving. Whether supported or undermined, recognised or ignored, the level of my dignity is at the centre of who I am and will become.