Dignity

A cool breeze whispers by a picturesque cottage perched on a hill overlooking the city of Washington. A tall man in a dusty black suit gallops up the path and halts his horse in front of the house. He breathes in the country air and exhales a soft sigh of relief. Here, surrounded by open green spaces and a few stately buildings, the man has found a place to relax. It seems difficult to believe that such a place is only three miles from the dust and noise at the center of the nation’s capital. The weary man in the dark suit is none other than President Abraham Lincoln and this is his seasonal home, his refuge from the chaos of Civil War Washington, DC. Yet there are decisions to be made and responsibilities from which he cannot escape.

These are the opening words of a United States National Park Service article on the place where Abraham Lincoln formulated his thoughts and resolve to write the Emancipation Proclamation, that went into effect on January 1, 1863. A responsibility from which he knew he - through moral imperative - could not escape. 

It was at the Soldiers Home, 3.8 miles from the White House, where he spent a quarter of his presidency, that President Lincoln retreated to a cottage there that gave the experiences and space to develop new and diverse perspectives on issues of freedom, justice, and humility.

It was this historic place where the ideals of human dignity were formed, leading to this day today, the newest U.S. federal holiday - Juneteenth. 

In the Proclamation, President Lincoln declared human slavery was ended. While it took two-and-a-half more years for the final slaves to be actually freed - June 19th - today marks the day when it finally happened, when the last of the United States slaves learned they were free. 

This is a day for remembering - a day to pay respect to the millions of enslaved people, to remember their experiences - their stories - and to be reminded that those stories matter. To acknowledge that they were denied dignity and treated as if they were not fully human. To be reminded that all people have sacred worth. To resolve that everyone by virtue of our humanness deserves to be treated with dignity simply because we are human.

Someone To Tell It To was created based on that value. 

We have seen and heard the stories of those who have been abused, marginalized, treated as if they were something less than human, disregarded, disrespected. It breaks our hearts to hear those stories and to know that we humans can treat one another in such undignified ways.

So, we strive to remind the world - everyone we listen to, and everyone we train and educate on how to listen more deeply and intentionally - that by listening we allow others to begin to be freed from all that takes their dignity away.  

It is much easier to love others when we know their stories. 

That is absolutely true. When we hear others tell us about their lives, especially the experiences that cause them to fear or hate someone or to loathe themselves or to hurt others by their words and actions, we can see how they become hardened and cynical. We can see why they make destructive decisions or have such low self-esteem that they cannot see anyone’s worth, especially their own. 

It is days such as today that are important and vital reminders of what we humans are capable of doing to one another when we are hurt, filled with hatred, or lack of respect. 

But it is even more important and vital on a day such as today, to be reminded of what else we humans are capable of doing for one another - that is, to recognize everyone’s sacred worth, to take steps to promote that worth, and to live in such a way that we treat each other with the dignity we all deserve by virtue of our humanness. 

When we know others’ stories, it is much easier to love them. This is a day, especially, to remember that, to resolve to be aware, and to listen. It is a day to celebrate the triumph of good over evil in our collective lives. 

To foster the dignity that all of us need to live to be our very best selves, not just on a holiday, but every day of our lives. 

Photo by Andy Staver on Unsplash