#84: Create a united culture by promoting dignity w/ Tami Pyfer

Are you part of the exhausted majority? Can showing enthusiasm for one side imply contempt for the other? Do you recognize the contempt you show others? These and other deeply relevant questions are addressed when Dignity Index architect Tami Pyfer joins The Rabbi and the Shrink. https://unite.us/home https://www.linkedin.com/in/tami-pyfer-54238612b/ Ethics depends on invoking our common humanity. Conscience testifies to the spark of divinity that defines us. Mutual dignity is a given; respect is earned. Being nice and agreeing about everything is not the answer. What is the Dignity Index? We don’t always have to show others that we’re right. There’s no America without democracy, there’s no democracy without healthy debate, there’s no healthy debate without dignity. We need to hold people we agree with accountable for their tone as well as their message. Would you be willing to join Dividers Anonymous? We need to set aspirational goals, join a supportive community, and collectively hold ourselves to a higher standard. “You are not obligated to finish the job, but neither are you free to withdraw from it.” We can’t be perfect, but we can continuously strive toward perfection in our speech and conduct toward others. Righteous indignation feels better than chocolate. Have we made an effort to understand why others believe or act the way they do? Contempt is the root of Cancel Culture. Free speech survives only through responsibility and accountability. Self-censorship can be both positive and negative. Word of the Day:  Reification the act of treating something abstract, such as an idea, relation, system, quality, etc., as if it were a concrete object; the act of treating a person as a thing; objectification To be ethical, we have to strike a balance between applying abstract concepts into our daily lives and preserving the nuance of the idea without oversimplifying.