Civility Week 18, April 30, 2012

When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency. - Samuel Johnson, British author

Ha! Bulldink..

I disagree with this quote by Mr. Johnson.  And it was when I read it back in January, I knew I had to begin something to correct the violation of civility. I refuse to believe we cannot be a kind people or a decent people. I see too many examples of it in day to day living. So I began this mission. If it affected no one else but myself, so be it. Then at least I was going to work on being more civil. Because I know I have occasions of incivility. Often…but it’s getting better!

Just because our news media insists on only displaying what are the wrongs being committed in this society, I believe there are thousands more little rights being performed:

Preemie nurses showing compassionate care to my tiny niece when she was born four months early.

The people in my church community who bring food for our food pantry

Sister Lucille who works tirelessly helping those people who come to our door find shelter, food and a listening ear.

The hundreds of people who show up to help search when someone goes missing.

The people of faith who attend a day long workshop to find out ways to help other people in the time of an emergency or natural disaster.

The thousands of people who show up at disaster scenes to clean up, clear away and provide food and water to survivors.

Coast Guard swimmers who jump into dangerous places to save people.

Firemen who don’t think of themselves but of others in times of danger.

These things and millions more  are why we as Americans or any other nationality will not fail in passing along civility to our own children.

Civility has not died, the occasional lack of civility is what gets reported on the news. Why?  Maybe because we love to get upset by seeing other people acting badly? 

Civility is not gone or dead. It just needs to be dusted off and brought to the front of our training again as does good manners and common sense.

Civility – use it or lose it?

Maybe we just need a new name for it:

Just be NICE to everyone.

Polite

Courteous

All these words beget civility. So what if someone is mean to us? I think we’ve watched too many revenge movies. Even if the bad guy in the movie really does need to be brought to justice, does everyone in our day-to-day life deserve our “kill or be killed” mentality?

So I digress in my musings on civility. But some weeks I just need to digress so I can build up being civil again.