I enjoyed a conversation this morning on NPR about the meaning of the word “dignity.”

One point that struck me was the concept of demonstrating self-control and how that quality relates to esteem or respect. I’ve been thinking about people that I know that emulate that quality. They understand that just because you have the capacity to do something doesn’t mean you should. Some words don’t need to be said. One of the true measures of a “dignified” person is his or her ability to exercise restraint.

Just because the law says you can do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. We get caught up in defending our behavior because we believe we are “in the right.” This is almost always a justification for questionable behavior.

As I listened to this conversation I thought about how it applies to the Trayvon Martin killing, which has gotten a lot of attention in the national media - for good reason. I’ve heard some people defend the shooter, Zimmerman, by saying he was “within his rights” to fire on this teenager in a hoodie. That may or may not be the case, legally speaking. But that doesn’t mean his decision to escalate the situation was “right.”

Obviously there are a lot of facts that haven’t come out yet, so I’ll withhold complete judgment in this particular case. But I have a hard time believing shooting to kill was Zimmerman’s only option. Sometimes the right decision is to walk away from conflict. This tragedy is an extreme example of this principle.