“Will you respect the dignity of every human being?” This question from the Baptismal Covenant directs our attention to one of the most important promises we make as Christians. When you answer, “I will, with God’s help” what is it to which you are committing yourself? Donna Hicks is helping me to understand at a deeply spiritual level what my commitment to this promise means. Her book, Dignity, The Essential Role it Plays in Resolving Conflict, is the fruit of her many years of engagement with this topic of human dignity.
Dr. Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and for nine years she was the Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Resolution (PICAR) at the Weatherland Center. Her work in international conflict resolution includes efforts related to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, work in Sri Lanka, Columbia, Cuba, and Northern Ireland, where she worked closely with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She has taught courses in conflict resolution at Harvard, Clark and Columbia Universities and conducts training and educational seminars in the US and abroad on the role dignity plays in healing and reconciling relationships in conflict. She will be the conference leader for the Clergy and Spouse Conference in the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont this May. Her new website Declare Dignity will help you better understand the important role dignity plays in all relationships, not only those in which there is conflict. Her wisdom is that “We might not be able to change the world, but we can create a more respectful way of being in it together. “ On her website, you can read and learn about her ten Dignity Essentials and sign on with me and many others to her Declaration of Dignity. Become a Dignity Agent today! Read her book. Live and teach the Dignity Essentials. Gain deeper insight and understanding into what we mean when we promise God that we will “Respect the dignity of every human being.” +Thomas