Dignity

In my seminar we have been going over dignity a lot. We have also talked a lot about the loss of dignity or the violation of dignity. This got me thinking what is dignity to me? What is my dignity? Here is what I am up with.

My dignity is something that is not supposed to be violated. My dignity is something that if violated would most likely leave me in a state of not even know what to do with myself.

There are three values of mine that if violated I would not know what to do. The first of my values is my right to make my own choices; the second being my right to think what I want; the third being my right to free speech.

If someone forces something upon me that I did not want, I would feel violated. I would be enraged and desperate about what to do since I would not know what to do. I would want to find a way to restore my dignity. I think that would be one of the hardest parts, not knowing how to get back what was taken from you with the violation of your dignity. Because the attack which was made upon you cannot be taken back so how do you get your dignity back?

If someone told me I could not think the way I wanted to or say the things I wanted to I would not know what I would do, because how can one dictate what I think and say?

This thought keep reminding me of the novel 1984 were I feel the main character’s dignity was attacked. I try and imagine myself in the setting of 1984 with Big Brother, spies, double speak, lies, deception, and simple acts really being acts of revolt. How would that even be, I see the society which 1984 takes place in being one of the ultimate attack on dignity because it is a government not only trying to control what is said but what is thought, and that is one of the scariest most angering things to me because how can you control ones thoughts that are not your own.