From the Latin dignitas, dignity is the quality of being worthy. This adjective refers to what corresponds to or is proportional to the merit of someone or something, and can also indicate that someone is worthy of something or that something has an acceptable level of quality.
Dignity is related to the excellence, seriousness and decorum of people in their way of behaving. A subject who behaves with dignity is someone of high morals, ethical sense and honorable actions.
In its deepest sense, dignity is a human quality that depends on rationality and refers to the theory that ensures that human beings are capable of changing their lives based on free will and the exercise of individual freedom; in the best of cases, this change is made to improve his situation. According to this idea, dignity is linked to the autonomy and autarchy of the man who governs himself with righteousness and honesty.
Freedom is possible through education, which allows people to make decisions based on knowledge and using the fullness of their intelligence. Of course, other issues concern the freedom of an individual and, therefore, its dignity: a home, a job, access to the health system, etc.
If a person is deprived of these basic rights, his dignity is said to have been outraged; not by the will of the person, but because he cannot exercise his freedom. Dignity implies recognition of the human condition and respect.
At first glance, it is noted that the term dignity has two well-differentiated meanings: one of them denotes the achievement of a series of objectives of a vital nature, given the principles of each society; the other is much more flexible, since it refers to being deserving of a possession or the affection or respect of another person, among other things. In the first case, the meaning is framed in certain social conditions , which means that not all the inhabitants of the same country share its definition.
Take for example the concept of decent housing. What do you mean exactly? In the first place, it must present an acceptable level of hygiene, which leads us to another prejudice, which also needs to be clarified: in a hygienic house there is no waste outside of the relevant buckets or bags, kitchen utensils are washed every day, the bathrooms are disinfected regularly and the floors and windows are cleaned frequently, collecting dust and eliminating bacteria to avoid potential infections for its inhabitants.
It is clear that most people in a Western society agree with such requirements, but that does not necessarily indicate that it is the best way to maintain a home. Continuing with the idea of decent housing, it is expected that it can be cool in hot weather and, above all, warm in the colder months. To do this, technology offers us different options, and many opt for air conditioning systems and gas stoves. Again, a minority could oppose the use of these artifacts, promoting a more natural and ecological way of withstanding extreme temperatures; but language only responds to the needs of the largest group, precisely the one that will ignore it and deform it to the point of stripping it of its dignity.
With regard to the adjective form (worthy, dignified, etc.) it can be used with different weights and not necessarily in a serious context: ” I don’t know if I’m worthy of you giving me all this… But don’t think I’m going to reject it “, ” Sometimes I think I’m not worthy of him loving me like that, and I don’t understand why he stays by my side “, ” This movie is worth seeing more than once “.
