Dignity – a meditation

 

As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.

Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

My evolution professor once said to me that human beings seem to have a fascination with the incorrect belief that we are better than other species. She told me that we as a species are no better than any other species – we have all survived. We all exist so we are all equal. Sure, we may have opposable thumbs, but we don't have wings. In her book, that was a reason for humility (which is different entirely from humiliation).

Being as I am, it is often hard for me to remember that I am neither above nor below anyone. I try to remember that we have all done the best we can and we have all survived to this moment. I might not approve of certain behavior because it no longer works for me or has never worked for me, but it is not for me to decide that it is not good for someone else. Much like I cannot tell a fish that spending so much time underwater doesn't seem like a good idea because I do not think it is a healthy choice for me, I cannot tell another person how to behave because it is not a behavior that I find appealing. The flipside of that is that others do not have that insight into my life either. It is much harder for me to remember this because I have had low self-worth and always looked externally for validation and direction. But now, thanks to the recovery program, I am able to look inwardly for guidance and try to seek out only my Higher Power for validation rather than crawl and beg for the approval of others. I am a much happier person. I stand on my own two feet, rather than fall at the feet of others or ask them to do it of me. We are all equal. I will choose to afford that dignity to myself and others in my interactions.

A meditation for February 23, 2013


No Light, No Light  – Florence + the Machine

1 comment on “Dignity – a meditation

  1. spencer says:

    You continue to post meditations that I need to read. Thanks.

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