Dignity Upheld :]

There are things in life that well all take for granted. Among those are basic things such as being able to walk, having use of all of our limbs, and being able to see. It is hard for me to imagine life without these basic components, but there are individuals out there that are living, and succeeding without these abilities. Hearing of their  stories is truly inspiring and to me is them upholding their dignity to the highest degree. 

 For this post I am going to focus on disabled individuals in sports. This idea popped into my head because a few years ago I was skiing at Hidden Valley Ski Resort and I saw a man on a "sit ski".(pictured below)

Later in the week I saw his picture in the local paper and read the accompanying article that told his story. Although I can't remember all the details the man was paralyzed from the waist down, but still found a way to ski, something that he was very passionate about! I've never forgotten about that man and the fact that he did not allow his disability to get in the way of doing the things he enjoys most. I feel that this  was a man upholding his dignity to the highest extent.

There are other examples in sports as well such as swimmers and surfer's without arms. I feel that the underlying point is that no matter what the circumstances these individuals didn't give up on themselves because of a physical disability.

After reading Harriet Johnson's piece about meeting Mr. Singer, it is clear that believing in ones' self is a huge part of upholding dignity. This piece made it clear to me that even if other people don't believe in you, you can believe in yourself and make your life worth living! This ties in the idea of self dignity, that has been discussed in previous classes. There is definitely a distinction between self dignity and the dignity that others place upon you.

The biggest lesson that I've learned through reading about these individuals stories is that in order for other people to see you as dignified, you have to see yourself as dignified. We all have times when we feel as though we can't do something, maybe because it is just too hard, or maybe because others are telling us it will never happen, but having the will to try is the most important part.


Here are a few youtube videos that show individuals that didn't allow their dignity to be taken away by a physical disability.