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Introducing: The Dignity Index
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President Lincoln, who we celebrate today, delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. Speaking to a divided nation in the midst of the bloody civil war, Lincoln famously ended his 7-minute speech by inviting his country to adopt the qualities necessary for healing:
At this polarized moment in U.S. politics, the University of Utah and Project UNITE have joined forces to make political and public discourse more productive.
Over the last week, our team at the Dignity Index has been asked one question over and over again: “Is treating someone on the other side with dignity a sign of weakness? Isn’t dignity really an excuse for cowardice?”
Recent media attention has raised curiosity about the Dignity Index – our eight-point scale that measures how we treat each other when we disagree.
Did you know that there’s national Quitter’s Day? Observed on the second Friday in January, it marks the point where 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions.
Last week while meeting with a group of education leaders in Seattle I heard the same questions I’ve come to expect after a workshop on the Dignity Index:
The devastation caused by the recent fires in Los Angeles has been heartbreaking. The loss of life and property, and the grief that so many are experiencing, remind us of the vulnerability of everything in life.