"Be Human and Respect Human Dignity"

The term has acquired a new meaning for me through my studies. Dealing with body donors in my anatomy classes has taught me respect for the manifesto a body leaves behind. The fascinating thing is that we do not lose our dignity when we die. I hope we all come to understand the eternity of dignity.

Dignity means to me that I am equal to all other people. I am no less worthy than any other person. In my work with children, I have never believed in the traditional idea of charity, with one hand giving and another taking. We are not divided into those who give and those who take.

I understand dignity as the kind of freedom I have right now and that I never had in my life. To have the privilege to educate myself and the chance to improve the lives of children. To give something back to the organization that freed me from child labor.

To me as scholar dignity means the opportunity to live one’s life to the fullest, knowing that one’s caring will be reciprocated, one’s achievements honored, and one’s shortcomings forgiven. Dignity also means the unfettered enjoyment of the “heaven of freedom” - a place where the mind is without fear and where knowledge is free.

To me dignity means respect in the capabilities of others, which means allowing them the space to voice their wants, needs and opinions and the possibility to contribute in their own capacity.

Dignity means for me that every human being is a unique being and the equal of all others. No state power can be more important than people.

I see dignity as an inner value that we are born with. This value can be lost by being buried under external labels. It is therefore important that everybody takes the time to become aware of their dignity. The awareness of one’s own dignity serves as a protective shield.

For me, dignity means living a life, come what it may be, that upholds the values promoting the humane and social wellbeing of others without degradation of self. As such, it is a constant strive to embrace those defining values that set apart humans from other beings.

Dignity means for me that all people, regardless of their age, medical condition or social situation, are cared for in such a way that they can create a self-determined life right into old age.

I understand dignity as leaning in and feeling the other’s dignity. I am because you are. 

For me, dignity means that people from different religions and cultural backgrounds treat each other with respect and grant each other the same rights.

Dignity to me means that I can be a good loser. For my research, this means complying with the rules of good scientific practice, even if sometimes that’ll lead to fewer publications or citations.

I see dignity as the young generation paying respect to people suffering from dementia for their lifetime achievements. For me, dignity also means that no distinctions are made in caring for our senior citizens, regardless of their background.

To me dignity means the right to play freely and fairly in a game of any kind. Being able to play, regardless of the colour of your skin, or your gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or intellectual capacity gives people dignity. When we can play and dance and laugh together and we all stripped of our layers of prejudice and fear.