When discussing dignity, it seems to me that there are two important questions to ask. How can you foster and maintain your own dignity? How can you infuse dignity into your relationships and interactions with others? This concept of dignity is a negotiation of relationships, a back and forth between your own dignity and the dignity of others.
All of us have different roles that we play: fun loving friend, comforting sibling, dedicated student, and so many more. But our primary roles, the ones with the most weight, depth, and meaning are as seekers of Truth. Whether that be in a religious sense or a more secular one, this is the most profound role we play, and all our other roles should come after. I think that dignity happens when we speak to this role when we speak to others. Instead of addressing and interacting with others as if they were fun loving friends or dedicated students, we should treat them (and ourselves) as seekers of truth, fellow pilgrims on this wisdom journey.
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