FRONT PORCH VIEW

Here I am sitting at 308 East Dubuque St. in Webster City on the front porch of my childhood home. I saw alot of people and heard alot of things from these steps throughout the years.  I had no idea the education this classroom was providing for me.


One of the lessons I was taught by the people who owned this house was how to be 'civil' towards other people.  Now mind you my Dad was a Navy veteran who served in Korea and sailed the ocean blue.  He had seen quite a bit.  My Mom grew up in a German household and having an opinion and telling you what it was came fairly easy.   But disrespecting someone was out of the question.  If anything Mom would say 'we'll talk about it later when we get home.'  Disrespecting my elders was simply out of the question...even if they were in the wrong.


So when it came time to how I acted in public and how I responded towards people that had already been addressed.  You acted with a measure of civility...period.  You represented your family, or your school, or your church, and yourself.


But from my front porch steps it looks to me that we seem to be living in the midst of an epidemic of rudeness and lack of civility.


A Colorado funeral director complains about impatient drivers darting in and out of funeral processions.  Ugh!  Of course that's when I take a step backwards in my own civility and call the guy a moron.  Sorry


Have you been through an airport terminal lately?  There is a story of a man who was angry at missing a flight connection and threw his suitcase at an eight-month pregnant airline employee.  Or the woman who heard there were no more sandwiches on her flight and punched the flight attendant.


Hey have you tried lately driving through a construction zone to merge over to another lane?  Really!! You see my turn signal flashing, the merge signs are posted....just let me over and ALL the traffic keeps moving.  But kudos to you...you managed to pretended not to see me and forced me to stop.  You won that round.

Character assassination and negative political advertisements are up.  Have you ever heard Michael Savage on his radio program.  He confesses and arrogantly tells you he's smarter than most people but in the same breath calls people names like Jr. Hi kids do.  Ooooh that's got to hurt.


Remember when the phone would ring and the person would say, "Oh excuse me I need to take this call."  The other day I saw a woman not on one cellphone but TWO at the same time and trying to pay for her gas blowing off not only the clerk but the people standing in line.  I'm sure both calls were very important.


Hold the door open for people today and most will blow by without a thank you.


It's no wonder that many people are talking about the need for a return to  being civil to one another.  U.S. News and World Report talks about "The American Uncivil Wars."  They conclude that "crude, rude, and obnoxious behavior has replaced good manners."  Maybe we're seeing more bad behavior and lack of civility because more and more people live for themselves and do not feel they are morally accountable to anyone.


Maybe if there was a return to the age old principle of "love your neighbors as yourself" this would be a better world to live in.  Hey it's a thought.
  
I like what Stephen Carter wrote in his book "Civility."  He writes:
"There needs to be a signal of respect for our fellow citizens, marking them as full equals, both before the law and God.  Rules of civility are thus also rules of morality; it is morally proper to treat our fellow citizens with respect, and morally improper not to.  Our crisis of civility is part of a larger crisis of morality."


I believe being "civil" starts with each one of us.  As parents, grandparents, teachers, doctors, coaches, teaching our kids about being 'civil'. It's our moral responsibility.  And that includes being civil to one another as we travel this life.


Being civil starts with me...it starts with you.  Be kind.

BIG BLOG BONANZA

BIG BLOG BONANZA

Here it is the BIG BLOG BONANZA trivia question presented by Lifeworks.

"With a history of over 4,000 years in China, it was the ancient Greeks that poetically called these the "golden eggs of the sun?"  To what were the Greeks referring to?

BIG BLOG BONANZA

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"Who said it and where was the phrase 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' used thousands of times?"