Dignity

What is dignity?
“The quality of being worthy of esteem or respect” read my WordWeb definition. And what determines a person’s dignity? And how much of it is under his control? How dignified am I? I don’t know.

There have been instances where I know I have behaved in a dignified way and held my head high. And there have also been instances when I had to count my toes. There have also been instances where I still do not know if I acted with dignity or not.

When people lose their respect for you, and give you a feeling that you have been taken for granted, how do you react? And what is acceptable as a ‘dignified’ reaction? We have two choices – One to maintain our self-respect by taking a back seat and moving on, thereby maintaining one’s dignity. And the other to still be the same to them, holding on to one’s own instincts and believing in one’s own self. And I find it equally dignified, in fact, requiring more courage and conviction.

Or perhaps, the degree of complexity of dignity varies from person to person given his life circumstances. Suresh, a cleaner in my office, once borrowed ten rupees from me. He promised he would return it. I did not expect him to, as would most of us. But to my surprise, he returned it to me with thanks, refusing my offer to keep it with him. The ten rupee note is no big deal for us, but for him, it is. Perhaps, not as big as his dignity. And he did not stop there. I found him watering Flora, my plant which supposedly brings me good luck, everyday then on before I arrive to work. A small gesture with a big heart.

Behaving with dignity is never easy. It requires discipline, self respect and more importantly, a big conscience. It is one of life’s lessons we need to learn and master, a difficult one too.

“One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered”