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  • Writer's pictureHannah Telluselle

Dignity

On my journey as a writer, I like defining words that signify something important in how we treat ourselves, others and earth, with example, and self-reflecting coaching questions in my books. Lately, the word ~ Dignity ~ has emerged as important to talk about and live by. What do we mean by dignity?

Dignity is a reverence of oneself and others, a way to show utmost respect while upholding a certain way of behavior that never ridicule, belittle or bully another. To be dignified, is to know one's inherent worth, by God, and one's rights. It's also a way of uphold one's own behavior, to not respond in ways that lower one's own standard of ethics. One of my fellow inmates in Honolulu 2011-12, told me she always looked upon me as a lady and how when I became angry and answered back with similar words as the woman shouting at me, she became disappointed in me. I have taken that to heart.


Upholding the dignity for someone else, is even harder, since the other person might be suffering from lower self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth than you are. So, when you in fact propose things that upheld their dignity, they refuse because they don't think they're worthy of it.


Example

When I found out that a Swedish famous woman had written much alike me, while also posing in photos resembling my poses, a little too much, I suggested that we would meet at the Swedish Author association. In that way, we both would be seen as equals and there would be their attorney, specialising in copyright infringements, that could share their opinion. This was to uphold both hers, and my dignity, since I am a professional copywriter and have a father who is an author, I assumed she wanted to be that too. But, apparently not. Instead, she started to slander me with an escalated fear with libel in tabloids for years in Sweden, and refused answering. What would then be a dignified way to respond to that? I reported this, and her, to the police of course, but I also have kept my own boundary of not slandering her. All I do, is clarify my own definition of self, my own credibility and my own doing. I don't talk about others behind their backs.


Self-reflecting questions

Who do you see as dignified, either by celebrity, or in your own close circle of friends and family?

Which kind of personal traits does he, or she, show? Are these traits you lack and can develop more of?

What can you offer to another person to uphold his, or her, dignity?


For more examples, check out my books here.



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