A few days ago, one of the several newsletters I receive included a summary of a team-building workshop around resolving conflict that a United Nations Regional Ombudsman gave. The item that intrigued me and I want to focus on is the Ombudsman’s distinction between respect and dignity.

It’s often bothered me to hear people talk as if respect is a given, as if everybody gets the same amount to start with and then they either confirm that it is rightfully theirs, or show us that it’s not deserved. Umm. No, not for me. Admittedly, I feel a bit justified in my opinion about that now with this information the Ombudsman shared in the workshop:

Respect is earned. Someone earns your respect through their behavior, actions, values, and vision

Conversely, dignity is inherent. You don’t have to do or be anything or anybody specific. Everyone is deserving of dignity.

I like that. It has helped me understand some of the social dynamics I’ve noticed over the years. That distinction makes so much sense to me. Every human being is worthy of dignity (doesn’t mean they’re dignified, though!), simply because they’re human. What kind of human they are doesn’t really matter in that case – they’re human, they get dignity.

However, the kind of human they are really does matter if they want our respect. What do you require a person to be to earn your respect? What characteristics do you look for in someone you respect? Is that the kind of person you want to be? What would it take for you to become that kind of person? What stops you from being that kind of person? And do you give yourself respect?

If you want to read the first part of the article summarizing the workshop, you can find it here: https://rockpaperscissorsinc.com/advice-from-the-un-ombudsman-ten-temptations-to-violate-dignity-part-one/

Photo by Joseph Corl / Unsplash

Because it made me laugh.