“Dignity grows where folks stand together,
long after the day’s work is done.”
Prototype Language
World Languages
Cultural Languages
Nordic Languages
Northeastern Languages
Balkan / Oriental Languages
Languages Neighboring German
Non-European Cultural Languages
At last we learn
to recognize, everywhere,
how community
grows from the circle,
shapes us,
and still leaves each of us
with a precious thing inside:
something carried,
dignity.
Dignity
Folks come to know one another
by the dignity they see in each other.
It shows up
in knowin’ where the lines are,
and choosin’ to respect ’em.
Across time and distance,
it holds on,
without wearin’ thin.
And still, most folks know
that heavy thought
of not feelin’ worthy enough.
When goodbye draws near,
it becomes plain
just how much dignity matters
— more than what you own,
more than what sway you hold.
It reaches farther
than any single life.
Dignity deepens
through a life that’s been lived,
through what a person’s carried
— unless
they’ve been broken.
Through hardship,
through bein’ stripped of respect,
till the memory fades
of who they once were.
Love’s lived everywhere.
And when it finally leads the way,
sufferin’ loses its grip.
Then dignity can come back home.
