Dignity...and Justice
Dignity...and Justice
...and being part of the Cottage community....
Ever wonder about what’s growing at The Cottage?
About 80% of the content here at The Cottage is open and free to everyone. There are, however, a couple of behind-the-scenes things that are only available to paid subscribers. The smaller group lends itself to more personal engagement among participants and in the comments. There are also occasional special events for the more intimate group as well.
And we’ve got two beautiful things sprouting up — keep on reading!
FIRST: One of the most popular “inside the Cottage” events among paid subscriber is a monthly conversation — Third Thursday at The Cottage — with authors, artists, and activists.
Today, I’m sharing a recent Third Thursday discussion with the entire community at the request of the paid subscribers. We were simultaneously challenged and moved by Tim Shriver, president of Special Olympics, and his new work on dignity.
You are welcome to share this timely discussion with others. The video is at the bottom of this post.
SECOND: Next month, on Wednesday, July 17 (a rare Third Thursday conversation on WEDNESDAY!), we’re hosting Margo Guernsey, an award-winning documentary filmmaker.
Her new film, The Philadelphia Eleven, shares the moving story of the first eleven women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church. That historic ordination happened fifty years ago this July. The film is a powerful testament on justice and persistence and a timely reminder how things we now take for granted were costly and hard-won victories for visionary men and women before us. It isn’t just an “Episcopal” film. It is a deeply human story with profound implications for our own times.
It is a truly beautiful documentary.
Because Margo is coming to The Cottage, we’ve got a HUGE SURPRISE FOR YOU!
PAID SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE INVITED TO A SPECIAL ONLINE VIEWING OF THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN FROM JULY 16-19 FOR ONLY $5.00. THAT’S $6 OFF THE REGULAR VIEWING FEE OF $11.
Details about accessing the coupon and sign-up will be sent out to all paid subscribers on MONDAY, JULY 15. If you are a paid subscriber, you will receive a private email then to watch the film.
I hope you’ll join in! We’ve never had a movie at The Cottage before!
PS: I’m so excited about today’s post - I wrote it at an airport on my way to Arizona! Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors! Sometimes I just want to share with you all!
TIM SHRIVER on DIGNITY
On June 20, I hosted a conversation with Timothy Shriver, president of Special Olympics. His insights on dignity are important, insightful, and challenging. And relevant. The central concern of his work on this subject is stated at his website:
“Our disagreements aren’t causing the divisions in our country; it’s what we do when we disagree. Do we treat the other side with dignity, or do we treat them with contempt? The first brings us together; the second drives us apart.”
Tim’s team has created a tool — The Dignity Index — to help us discern how we engage with others. It is an eight level scale that scores our attitudes and speech on a continuum from contempt to dignity.
The conversation was enlightening and convicting. Listen in. And be stretched spiritually — I know I was. Especially when Tim scored a recent column of mine!
Spoiler alert: Dignity is hard. It’s been made harder by technology and politics.
Yet, Tim Shriver remains hopeful. Even optimistic about real change. And that’s something I need to hear.
Purely blessed, that's my feeling after listening to this interview. I have been deeply moved. I asked my husband to listen and we have not stop talking about it. We're deeply moved by the efforts and dedication of the work Tim and his team have done. What he says is truth be told. and we all need to hear it. We've already addressed our awareness as to how we think and talk about our neighbors and family members.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cannot thank you enough for giving us this guideline and enthusiasm to beging to change our ways and spread the word!!!!
Thank you for sharing this interview, Diana! I’m inspired to study the index and try to put it into practice in my own communications.