In recent years, Special Olympics International Chairman and societal Impact Scholar Tim Shriver formed a group of people across racial, political and cultural divides to determine one thing that could reduce the tensions and violence in the United States and increase the nation’s capacity to solve problems.
“What we came up with was promoting dignity,” he said.
Shriver’s team determined to measure or score conversations on an objective dignity index. The group hoped scoring would be a way of creating discussion, he said.
Shriver joins this Deseret News video, titled “Speaking with Dignity,” to discuss dignity as well as the contempt and hatred permeating society.
“If you want to make things worse, use contempt to describe the person you disagree with,” he said. “If you want to make things better, … treat the other person with dignity.”
Discussions are best if a person states his or her case based on “facts, policies, outcomes, figures, experiences,” he said. “Don’t attack the other person’s dignity.”