I probably should have been devastated, upset, embarrassed, or at least tearfully disappointed. Instead, I remember feeling overwhelming gratitude for the chance to be engaged, proud of the work I had done, excited that I had come so close, and energized by the people I had met. When asked by a reporter how I felt after the loss, I surprised him by saying “ecstatic.” (Of course, I was ecstatic—people actually voted for me!!!)
That was my first – and last – campaign loss. Four years later, I ran again – and this time I won. I went on to serve eight years on the city council, and four years on the state board of education, before serving as an appointed official in the governor’s office. I have always felt honored and grateful to serve my community and my state in this way.
I’m still involved in local politics—donating to candidates (who often remind me of first-time-candidate-me), signing petitions, and most recently, serving on the board of a group that supports candidates who are “committed to civil discourse and sound polity over divisive and heated rhetoric.” I join with millions of Americans who are eager to lift and support those who want to solve problems and serve with dignity.
I also like to check in from time to time on the work of the Logan City Council, where I got my start. Just tonight, I watched part of the city council meeting, and I heard from a council member who opened the meeting.
It was thrilling to hear her talk about the Dignity Index. She had been at the Dignity Leadership Summit two weeks before, and I was touched and humbled to hear her talk about dignity with insight and authority.
Reflecting on what she learned at the summit, dignity, she said, is the inherent worth we all have from birth. When we honor people’s dignity, we honor their humanity. When we use contempt, we fall into us vs them thinking – and we don’t see the damage we do to ourselves and the causes we care about.
She closed by saying to her fellow council members and those present: “I hope you connect ‘dignity’ to ‘love of neighbor’.” This, to me, was a sign of the power of dignity. The council member was able to speak on dignity with the skill of an expert because she saw it was simply a call to amplify the deep values already within her, and her remarks amplified the call inside others to do the same.
Once again, the activities around the Logan City council gave me cause to be “ecstatic.” They showed me the dynamic advance of dignity – this is how it spreads; this is how we change the culture.
Tami
