To have dignity is to feel worthy. Worthy of what? In the most basic sense it is about feeling worthy of love. Everyone is worthy of love. I don’t wish to walk in this world thinking that the people around me are unworthy of Love. I don’t wish to withhold my Love. All the Love I have is God loving through me. If I withhold the expression of the Divine moving through me in any form is it possible for me to have full creative expression or any other quality of the Divine? No, it’s not.
So, my practice of dignity begins with myself. I am worthy to love and be loved and so is everyone else, regardless of what they might have done or not done. Love’s nature is to flow and I will not take myself out of its flow.
Dignity is a gift we can give to others by seeing them as worthy. It costs us nothing but it does require our attention. Mother Teresa said, “I never tire of repeating this: what the poor need the most is not pity but love. They need to feel respect for their human dignity, which is neither less nor different from the dignity of any other human being.”
Today, I look at those around me and see whom I feel believes they are unworthy. I go out of my way to acknowledge their worthiness and honor their dignity. In this way, I anchor my own practice of honoring the dignity of everyone. When everyone feels loved and worthy, peace will prevail. Every day my nonviolent choices and actions move the world in the direction of love and peace.
This week! Check out my Stop Playing Small Retreat next week in North Carolina! And the Advanced Masterful Living Retreat.
If you’re finding what I’m sharing to be helpful won’t you please share at facebook and twitter to let others know? Thank you!
