The Crown Prince of Norway Redefines “Dignity”

Out of dozens of speakers at the One Young World Summit, one stood out the most in the eyes of many. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (along with his wife, Princess Mette-Marit) presented himself as dignified, humble, compassionate and approachable. He and the Mette-Harit displayed a genuine love for not only one another but for the people they met and for the causes they support.

Prince Haakon spoke at the opening ceremony about the tragedy that occurred in Norway on July 22, this year, when a domestic terrorist took the lives of 77 people and injured many others. Reflecting on the catastrophic and senseless loss of innocent lives, Haakon stated, “We can choose to defy brutality with fellowship. We can choose to counter hatred with solidarity. We can choose to stand by our values.” (View his speech here.)

Keeping within the values of his opening speech, on Day 2 of the summit, Haakon, along with Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland, introduced to the delegation the topic of Global Dignity. Haakon, Himanen and volunteers from around the world have founded a project that teaches schoolchildren the importance of dignity and the value of discovering leadership that comes from within oneself.

During the opening day of the summit, some of the delegates were fortunate enough to participate in a Dignity Day event at a Zurich school with Haakon and Himanen. Among those delegates was Allyce Pinchback of Pittsburgh, who attended the summit as a representative of the Pittsburgh chapter of the World Affairs Council. (You can read about Allyce's experience here.)

Every year, Oct. 20 is celebrated as Global Dignity Day. The volunteers for the Global Dignity Project visit schools to hold two-hour sessions with children, where they listen to the children speak about their own experiences with dignity. The amazing thing about this project is that, in working with children, you hear what true dignity is. Children are innocent and honest in the most emotional and remarkable ways. They have not been corrupted by the conditions of their surroundings and speak only from the heart.

There are five guiding principles to the Global Dignity Project, but the one that I feel best exemplifies the mission of this project is No. 4, which states, "Dignity should be the basic guiding principle for all actions."

I believe this simple statement will give you an idea of what this project encourages young children to consider when they think about dignity.

To set an example for what Global Dignity is about, I will share my own story of dignity, as encouraged by the prince.

I always thank soldiers and veterans that I see on the street for their service. I don't do it to make myself feel important or good but because we owe these men and women so much. They sacrifice every aspect of leading what one would consider a “normal” life in order to provide for others. It is beautiful what they do, and they should be recognized for their actions each chance that we can.

The thing that struck me most about this plenary session was that I could tell that the prince was honest in his passion for the Dignity Project based on one thing: his length of time speaking.

While many of the speakers that we listened to over the course of the three-day conference were extremely educated, experienced and interesting, many took the microphone and talked until there was little time for the delegates to ask questions and make remarks. We were rushed and kept to making a point in 30 to 40 seconds, many times never having our concerns addressed, while the presenter spoke for a half-hour to an hour and a half. The prince spoke for under 10 minutes and then allowed the rest of the time to hear from the delegates. This is a testament to the man behind the crown. He does not place himself above others but beside them. That is leadership that so many people will never know.

We spend so much of our time listening to politicians, corporate leaders and celebrities shining in the spotlight and so little time being heard. The Global Dignity Project is an exercise in listening, and that is why I have chosen to take part in Global Dignity Day this year and for years to come. We learn more by listening than by speaking. Anyone can bloviate from behind a microphone or in front of a teleprompter and/or a television camera, but it takes a real leader to listen and be affected in his or her heart and mind by what the person on the other side is saying to him or her.

Click here to view the prince's speech on dignity.

Visit the Global Dignity Web page for information on being involved in Global Dignity 2011 on Oct. 20.