Dignity

“Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them.” – Aristotle

The Olympic Games ended tonight and I enjoyed every minute of them. I know most Brazilians in the favelas that dot the Rio landscape were unwelcome guests at a party in their own city. That is sad but a true fact of life in a world where many find themselves as unwelcome guests. In spite of all that, the games offered not only entertainment but several life lessons.
For me, one of the most compelling is the lesson taught by the dignity and poise of the US track star, Allyson Felix.
In July, due to a nagging ankle injury she suffered in April, she lost in the 200 m qualifying race. The athlete who beat her fell/dove across the finish line. Her dream to defend her Olympic gold medal from 2012 was dashed. She held her head high and consoled herself with the 400m, 4x400m and the 4x100m relays.
On Monday, August 15th, she lined up to run the finals of the Women’s 400m. Running in Lane 4, she had the chance to cross the finish line and claim a gold medal when the Bahamian star, Shaunae Miller, fell/dove across the finish line to claim the gold. Allyson was beaten by 0.07s. She was devastated but kept her head high.
Three days later was the women’s 4x100m heats. Allyson was in at the 3rd spot. Just as she got ready to hand the baton over to English Gardner, she was bumped by the Brazilian runner in the next lane causing her to lose her balance and miss the exchange. Even with that, she kept her composure and asked English to finish the race. She did and the US team appealed. They won the appeal and got the opportunity to rerun the race. They qualified and ended up wining the gold.
Dignity in the face of adversity is something few can muster. Those who do it always shine as bright as the morning sun, showing us all that it is possible.
Allyson injured her ankle in April, lost her dog in June and her grandfather in July. Still, she worked towards her goal. The 400m final loss would have discouraged many and yet she kept on. The 4x100m bump should have put the nail in her coffin and yet she had the presence of mind to tell English Gardner to finish the race.
She faced all these adversities with poise and class, always displaying a certain strength of character and dignity. That poise and dignity even translated to how she ran – graceful and effortlessly.
So what is dignity and why does it matter?
Well, dignity keeps one above the fray of life and gives mental clarity to the daily chaos. It is defined as having self-respect and a sense of pride in oneself.
Life is hard and most of the time, people and experiences seek to strip away this sense of pride in one’s self. It is up to the individual to constantly reinforce a sense of self-respect. It is worth reinforcing because it shows that even though one may not possess the honor, it is something that is deserved. So since one behaves like being deserving of the honor, sooner or later, the honor comes along. If dignity is lost, it is like saying that one does not have the honor and does not deserve it. How sad!
Thus even though she lost by a hair in the trials, lost by 0.07s in the 400m and was bumped in the 4x100m, she didn’t despair. She knew that no matter what happened, she deserved the honor and the honor will come. And did it come!
After 16 days, the games are over and life goes on. The lessons learnt this week will stay with me and should I trip and fall, I hope I pick myself up with dignity and class. Just like Allyson Felix would.