Personal Dignity Is Recognizing That We Deserve Better

People have a price, an indisputable value called personal dignity. It is an unconditional dimension that reminds us every day that no one can or should use us. We are free, valuable beings, responsible for ourselves and deserving in turn of adequate respect.

Personal dignity is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and neglected concepts in the field of personal growth. Somehow, many of us have forgotten that this dimension does not depend on external recognition. No one has to put a certain value on us to make ourselves feel worthy of gifts.

What is personal dignity

As Íñigo de Miguel affirms in his article “Considerations on the concept of human dignity”: “Currently, most of the authors consider that the essential dignity of man is based on three facts: his ability to make moral judgments, his freedom to to decide about their actions and their intellectuality, that is, the possibility they have of generating abstract concepts “.

De Miguel explains that different studies suggest that the word dignity has its origin in Sanskrit, “specifically in the root dec, which would mean to be convenient, conforming, appropriate to something or someone “. Later, the Latin added the suffix “-mus”, leaving the term “decmus”, which would derive in “dignus”. Thus, over the years in Castilian it became “dignified” and hence “dignity”.

Personal dignity is an inherent quality that comes from the “factory”. As Martin Luther King once said, it doesn’t matter what your trade is, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin or how much money you have in your bank account. We are all worthy and we all have the ability to build a much better society based on self-recognition and that of others.

However, dignity and vulnerability always go hand in hand. Because this innate quality depends directly on our emotional balance and self-esteem. In fact, on occasion. It is also enough that we spend a season without a job to come to think that we are not worthy or useful for this society.

We suggest you reflect on it with us.

What is not personal dignity

Understanding early on that we deserve the best, that we must be respected for who we are, have and characterize us, is not pride. Defending our identity, our freedom and our right to have our own voice, opinion and values ​​is not narcissism. The moment we understand all this, our personality is reinforced and we achieve adequate internal satisfaction.

However, we have to admit it, if there is one dimension of our psychological well-being that leaves more consequences after having neglected it, forgotten it or left it in the hands of others, it is dignity. Hence, we must always remember something very simple as well as illustrative: hope is not the last thing a person should lose; In reality, what we must never lose is personal dignity.

Let’s see next in what ways this value escapes us, this principle of inner strength.

We lose personal dignity when …

Dignity is not a set of keys that we put in our pockets and that from time to time we leave to others to keep for us. Nor is it a material possession. It is a non-transferable, unconditional, own and private value of each one. .

• People lose our dignity when we allow ourselves to be systematically humiliated and boycotted.

• We suddenly lose our dignity when we stop loving ourselves.

• Dignity is lost when we become conformists and accept much less than we deserve.

• As curious as it may seem, we can also let this dimension escape the moment we overdo it. That moment in which we demand privileges and violate the sense of balance and equality with respect to our peers.

As we can see, not only the lack of personal security and self-love generates the loss of this root of our well-being. Sometimes, there are those who become unworthy the moment they take the step towards abuse, lack of consideration and extreme selfishness.

How to learn to be people with stronger dignity

• The first aspect is to understand that we are masters of ourselves. We are our conductors, our personal gurus, our helm of command, and our compass. Nobody has to take us or drag us to oceans that are not ours, or to scenarios that bring us unhappiness.
• The second pillar is undoubtedly something as simple as it is sometimes complicated: giving ourselves permission to achieve what we want. Many times we do not feel deserving of something better, something good and enriching. We just accept what life has wanted to bring us as if we were supporting actors in the theater of our lives.

• Define your values. Aspects as basic as a strong identity, good self-esteem and solid values ​​configure the roots of our personal dignity, and those aspects that no one can and should never violate.
• Self-reflection and meditation. Throughout the day, it is convenient that we have a moment to ourselves. It is a space of its own where we can make contact with our being to make an adequate diagnosis of how we feel.
• Last but not least, it is also vital that we are able to take care of the dignity of others. We mentioned it before, because being worthy is also knowing how to recognize the same, whatever their condition, their situation, their origin, their status or their race.