Throughout their long histories, American Indian peoples have thrived on, respected, and protected the environments that make up their homelands. Being good stewards of the environment remains important to American Indians today. 

Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict

by Donna Hicks, Ph.D. 

Dignity by Donna Hicks is a guideline for thinking about our relationship with other human beings. Through her work facilitating through international conflicts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Columbia, Cambodia, Northern Ireland and the United States Donna Hicks has been exposed to a unique perspective of deep rooted historical conflicts.

Hicks' Dignity Model identifies "Ten Elements" of dignity. She asserts dignity is an inherent, human birthright and, as such, something to be recognized and honored in human beings on a daily basis.  

She also explores the "Ten Temptations" to violate someone else's dignity, consciously or unconsciously. Her pointed invitation to reflect on these violations -- by others or ourselves -- help the reader become aware of areas where we have received hurts, internalized them and now, in violation of our own and others' dignity, pass them on.

Dona Hicks also writes about sharing peoples stories with emotion (crying, laughing, shaking, etc.) or discharge as a path toward healing and restoring one's dignity. She writes, "when we have been harmed, especially under circumstances that feel unjust, we have a need for public acknowledgement of the pain and suffering caused." When we notice someone's vulnerability during storytelling we tend to slow down and care more deeply. We become more connected to them and more connected to treating them with more dignity.

by Malcolm Gladwell   

"Giants are not what we think they are," says Gladwell in the introduction to David and Goliath. We forget that being an underdog changes people for the better and teaches them to succeed by other means. (David slew Goliath because he knew how to use a sling and could attack the giant from long range.) Gladwell also points out that power has its burdens and what might look to be a clear advantage often hides a set of flaws. (Goliath lost his fight with David because the disease that made him huge, also impaired his vision and mobility.) Being weak can make you strong, and vice-versa.

Gladwell provides us the opportunity to reflect on dominance and how power affects us. He reminds us that whether we are giants or underdogs that we carry a set of assumptions that we make about ourselves and "the other." We tend to assume that institutional dominance wins out simply because it's the status quo, has more resources and structures in place, and it's a "giant" and therefore undefeatable. Gladwell is asking us to question this assumption, to consider that being in the "David" position is an advantage -- if we can shift our perspective to see it this way and not simply accept the defacto "bigger is better, stronger, and therefore the winner" scenario. This book provides an opportunity to reassess our assumptions and act from a more flexible frame of reference.