Monday, March 7, 2016

Civilization requires...

Simple Civility

All of civility depends on being able to contain the rage of individuals.”
Joshua Lederberg

Civility is not about being polite to one another. It is not about “political correctness.” It is about simple self-containment. It is about not carrying one's rage over real or perceived injustice to an extreme stance from which one cannot back down. Civility is found in seeking common ground—it is me thoughtfully considering you, and your human right to be treated with respect. Civility is the foundation and cornerstone of civilization.

When civility breaks down, we see the kind of street rage that destroys everything it touches. Civility begins and ends with individuals who have at their center an abiding conviction that every human being deserves to be treated with dignity. Where there is rank incivility, entire civilizations are destroyed, and rogue states take the place of legitimate governments. No one is served; everyone suffers.

Like all values, civility starts at home, within hearts, within families. When we treat each other with respect, we teach our children to be respectful, not just to adults, but to their peers. We build neighborhoods in which everyone feels safe and shares in the benefits of community. We may not like every person we meet, but we can contain our dislike enough to not harm or slander them.

Our highest values are civility and concern for the common good. When we hold to them, everyone benefits. Such values are clearly articulated in every religious tradition, and in every constitutional form of government. When we abandon them, we are in no-man's land where anything can happen, none of it good. Seventeenth century English poet, Mary Wortley Montagu put it this way: “Civility costs nothing, and buys everything.”

                                                       In the Spirit,

                                                           Jane

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