Events

At the heart of this year’s Dignity World Café was the realisation that every person has their very own perception, and with it their own truth.

No one in this world holds the single truth that applies to everyone else in the same way. Each of us sees the world through our own lens. Our perception is shaped by our biography, our experiences, the things we live through and the people who accompany and influence us over the course of our lives.

When we truly accept this realisation and at the same time grant the person across from us their own truth and perception, something important can grow: respect, appreciation and tolerance.

And for us, that is exactly where an essential part of lived dignity lies.

It became especially interesting when we asked how we can deal with situations in which another person annoys us, provokes us or even insults us with hurtful words.

One simple yet effective method can be to physically take a step to the side.

This small step creates distance. Distance from the situation, from the energy that has just arisen between the people, and above all distance from the impulse to absorb that energy straight away.

You can then ask yourself inwardly: “What kind of energy is here right now, and does it even belong to me?”

When we recognise that the other person’s anger, insult or judgement is first of all their perception and their emotion, we do not have to automatically make it our own.

We can stay calm, breathe and, in a sense, hand the complaint back to the person across from us. Because it is their opinion, not mine.

This does not mean that we ignore criticism or refuse to reflect on our own behaviour. Rather, it means that we do not have to automatically take on responsibility for other people’s feelings and judgements.

One thing became clear: we cannot fully get to know ourselves without the person across from us.

The other person is, in a sense, our mirror. Only through encounter, friction, common ground and difference do we learn who we ourselves are, what matters to us and where our boundaries lie. Only when we have someone across from us can we recognise ourselves.

This is exactly what our Dignity World Café was meant to make room for: encounter, listening, reflection and the chance to look at our own point of view once through the eyes of another person.

By the end of the afternoon, you could clearly feel how content and enriched the participants were.

Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful experiences a Dignity World Café can give: in the end, you do not have to hold the same opinion. You do not have to be convinced that your own view is the only right one.

Sometimes it is enough to recognise:

A special thank you here goes to our wonderful organising team. Again and again, everyone pitches in, plans, organises, sets up, supports and makes sure that events like this become possible at all.

Thank you for your time, your energy and your dedication. Without you, our Dignity World Café would not be what it is: a place of encounter, exchange, laughter and dignity.

There was something special for the children at our stand, too: they could paint stones in bright colours and give their creativity free rein.

The highlight for many, though, was the balloon contest.

What is a fond memory of their own childhood for many adults was evidently something completely new for the children today. In the 1980s and 1990s, balloon contests were a natural part of festivals in many places. The children let their balloons rise into the sky with a small card attached and waited eagerly to see whether and where a card would come back.

In Hebborn, too, numerous colourful balloons set off on their journey.

And sure enough: four cards came back to us. They had covered an astonishing distance and reached us from Schwelm, Lippstadt, Schwerte and Melle. The warm, sunny weather evidently created good updrafts and carried the balloons far beyond the boundaries of Hebborn.

For the children, this is of course a very special success: they will soon be surprised with small gifts from our association.

So the day became a lovely example of what a neighbourhood festival can be about: encounter, shared experience, conversations about important topics and a little wonder at just how far a small balloon can fly.

Above all, though, we want to take one message with us: every person carries their dignity within them. Sometimes we just have to learn again to feel it, to honour it and to let it become visible in everyday life, too.

And perhaps that is exactly why it applies to our crown as well: if we carry our dignity within us, it may well wobble now and then, as long as it does not fall off our head.