Be Civil

How is civility in politics possible?

Civility is not only possible in a free society; it is necessary. Civil behavior is the mature substitute for anger, disobedience and destruction.

The virtuous act of civility begins by seeing other people as fellow human beings endowed with the very same inalienable rights as you, followed by a sincere feeling of humility that you might be wrong in your opinions. It is no coincidence that our civility is only called upon in disagreements, never in agreement with others where it is always unnecessary.

Civility is possible whenever each citizen makes a conscious choice to place the betterment of community and society ahead of political agendas for personal gain.

One thing to keep in mind: you will never agree with an individual or organization on every single issue. Civility often means being able to work together with others to accomplish a shared goal, even if you often or nearly always disagree with them on other issues. The vast majority of the people you encounter in policy and politics are (it’s true!) decent, well-intentioned human beings – even when you disagree with them about a particular issue.

Dig Deeper:

Video: Jim Ferrell–Resolving the Heart of Conflict

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