Dignity

Principle of Equal Dignity

Every breath we take in this life has equal dignity with the next. We do not say to one breath, "Ah, you are good" and then to the next, "I do not like you," to the first, "You are lovely," and to the second, "You are loathsome." As our heart beats, so we breathe. The process flows on of itself.

The Principle of Equal Dignity is like breathing. Each person, each thing is allowed its moment -- its unique moment to breathe. A thought buzzes around your ear, your wife calls, a business deal succeeds, a friend dies -- underneath all the ripples in our lives that brings so many delights, concerns, and cares is equal dignity, each thing's dignity to be itself. Equal dignity is not only a principle, it is also the object of our practice. Because when we allow each moment its equal dignity:

Things even out
There is no cause for rush, no stress
No need to oppress others
No need to hold on to grievances and resentments
No need to repress ourself

When we allow each moment its due, we have a second chance:

To let go and to straighten up
To lift our head
To hear the sounds
To let all that is new, green, and gushing in our life begin to surge again

When we allow each moment its due:

We can begin to walk with some equilibrium in the darkness
To discover the fertility of our weaknesses
To value sequences
To recognize that life and death are, in the end, also equal.

The practice of equal dignity does not require you to do anything special. You do not have to meditate. You do not have to go to church or to an ashram. You do not have to read anything, see anything, think anything. All you have to do is open your eyes, pause to smell the flowers, and draw nourishment from little, nonspecial things -- especially nonspecial things.

Equal Dignity: This practice particularly lends itself to mundane tasks. For example, see if this week you can treat taking out the trash or its equivalent with the same attention and dignity you accord to a meeting with an important person, receiving a citation of merit, or winning a case.

This is not an easy practice, since our society -- and most other societies -- is based on the belief that every thing is unequal and most things have no dignity. See if you can make any headway and record your insights and observations.