Dignity — A Value We’re Losing

I'm under the impression that unless your values are written out somewhere that's easily accessible, you'll forget them over and over again.

Values = what makes you feel life is worth living.

You would think the behaviors, people and decisions that make you feel life is worth living would be something impossible to forget, but the reality is the media climate has become so inundated with distractions most people have literally forgotten what the hell they're doing here.

When your values fall into the dark, so does the alignment in your life and things quickly start to feel meaningless and off-beat.

Suddenly life becomes an experience you have to "stomach" instead of a rush of miracles that pass through your skin.

Some days it can literally feel like an enemy created your schedule.

But this whole time it was you.

Not only is **what is most important to you** easy to forget, but it can change so quickly!!

When was the last time you wrote out the 4-5 top things that make you feel your life is worth living?

Where's the paper?

Unless you read it every few days, it's trash. I hope you know that.

The way I avoid becoming a media slave is by checking in on my values every few days.

If not, it'll only be a week or two before I'm pursuing a whole other person's life.

For example last week I checked in and I had a whole wake-up call about why I decided to spend the past four years talking about tech-philosophy.

Dignity.

That word alone means nothing because we smoosh it next to:

"integrity", "boundaries", "connection", "community", "generational wealth' "Inclusivity". "values".

Some of us even have the nerve to use these words interchangeably!

People try to fit as many of these feel-goods into one sentence.

Why?

Because modern people have figured out the best way to hide the fact they don't know what these words mean individually is to make them seem like they all mean the one thing they care about:

"I know big words."

"I know powerful words."

"I know the words that make the twitter sermon go purr."

Yeah you do.

And I am so impressed.

But this doesn't help my brothers and sisters who actually want to feel life up close and personal.

Instead of sprinkling these words around for cheap emotional comfort, I like to dissect them one at a time and really see how each one stands on its own.

Do they actually apply?

For example, the definition of "dignity" is: "..being worthy of honor or respect."

That's different than "integrity" which means: "the state of being whole and undivided."

Integrity comes from "integration".

The way I like to think about it is like DNA or mitochondria.

If you cut your body down to the cell, there will still be some of the same biological data in each cell.

Your DNA is integrated down to the cell.

So someone with "integrity" is some one who "keeps that same energy" so-to-speak, in each part of who or where they are.

But back to dignity.

All I wish for you is a grandmas love.

What I mean is, the reason why tech-philosophy is so important to me is because I want you to experience your dignity.

Your dignity is directly correlated to your human experience.

It's your permission to have flesh, grace...emotional receptors that can pick up and read the miracles of kindness, innocence and the purity of humanity when they do happen to appear.

If you can even see them, that is.  

It's the juicy peace you feel in the sounds of fading laughter.

The bounce in a child's curl.

The firmness in a grandfathers embrace.

It's blossomed mercy, a cousin of forgiveness.

It's life saying "you're worth the gaze of a warm eye that cares about you and actually wants to see and respect your heart."

Without dignity man minimizes into a brutal creature.

Wars start not just because of the envy over resources but because if a man can't have a simple moment with fresh, hot tea and a smile, he'd rather be dead.

Dignity is to man what civilization is to our animal kingdom.

What farming is to fruit...

It is a state of internal order that relies on the cooperation of multiple roles to experience and yield the most meaningful goods mother nature has in her bra.

So much of our technology today wants you to compromise your dignity in the name of fame, clout, you name it.

Everything from how it's invented to why it's invented inherently implies you deserve no respect. No dignity.

And I just didn't want that warm feeling in your heart to get lost.

That warmth comes from a fire your ancestors worked really hard to keep glowing because they knew if that went out, the point of life would go with it.

It's was sewn in lullabies and recipes.

Superstitions, myths, stars.. and ultimately just love.

A love for yourself, your kin and your life.

I started studying tech-philosophy because I saw how many of us are not in love with life.

We feel alien to life and it's because we keep creating technology that enhances this deadly illusion that is robbing you of all your time and your dignity.

Dignity won't be a big moment.

It will be a small smile exchanged between you and a stranger... or hell, even a mutual eye roll.

It'll be a honoring your body with rest and food.

It'll be reaching for what the old lady dropped in the grocery store so she can spare the bend. 

It's not big and expansive, it's actually small-- but hot enough to make your body melt with gratitude.

There is so much dignity to be experienced, and so many opportunities for you to offer the experience for others as well.