When and where has civility gone? In this highly explosive world we live in we seem to have lost the ability to be civil to one another. At one time in our history we had the ability to disagree with each other on topics ranging from politics to religion. As time went on those topics became taboo. People starting supporting things they believe in privately. The Monday morning water cooler discussions have gone by the wayside for fear of offending someone and getting written up at work. Social clubs and other types of social gatherings gave way to online communities and chat boards. Technology put the entire world of knowledge at our fingertips while simultaneously isolating us from each other. It gave people an electronic buffer from each other and allowed for keyboard warriors to take to the internet and spread hateful rhetoric with no real world consequences. At the same time we raised a generation of people who never learned how to lose with grace. Everyone got a trophy so no ones feelings were hurt. The ability to lose is a vital piece of civility.
So social clubs and other social gatherings back in the day brought people together in a public place to meet, talk, and get to know one another. This built communities of all races and class groups. People came together to discuss politics, religion, and all the topics of the day. Civil discourse was a welcomed way to work to solve problems within those communities. At times those discussions led to fist fights and yelling matches but in the end the bond of community allowed for apologies and repairing of relationships. The ability to agree to disagree was lost as people moved online. Once people could argue to the point of getting mad they just blocked the other person and moved on. This has evolved into social media shaming and forcing people off platforms designed to promote free speech. Civility allowed for these disagreements to not end relationships.
I remember growing up and we knew all of our neighbors and tried our best to care for one another. When someone went on vacation we got their mail, watched their pets, and made sure nothing happened to their home while they were gone. With the ability to be online all day everyday and meet people from all walks of life there is no need to get to know your neighbors anymore. You can live in a neighborhood for years and never even see your neighbors. Then skill of conflict resolution has been lost. That is a vital piece of civility. If we could take time out of our day to introduce ourselves to the people we live near imagine how easy it would be to have neighborhood bar-b-ques and actually create a support structure that provides security for all.
With the covid climate we have seen this loss of civility come into our living rooms every day as news stories and video clips are shown of violence. This too has become accepted and only adds to the division of all people. The videos began with people destroying businesses within their community and cheering it on. Then we began to see people being attacked on the street simply for the color of their skin. We saw people arm themselves and stand against these riots leading to deaths and more violence. Protesters blocked roads and highways and forced the drivers to make a decision to either risk their lives or floor it and run over the people blocking the road. A man walked up to a police car and shot two officers while they were doing nothing, this too was cheered on by people standing by. All of these events were cheered on by the people who agreed politically with the people taking violent actions. Just last week President Trump tested positive for Covid. People on social media went crazy wishing death upon him and his wife, simply because they dislike him or disagree with his politics. When I saw all of these events I immediately felt as though I was seeing the end of our society as we know it. If we knew how to be civil none of this would be happening.
The idea that America as we know it is disappearing at an alarming rate scares me to death. Knowing people are wishing death upon others and cheering on the death of innocent people scares me. I think we can stop and reverse this course but we need to get back to basics. We need to learn that if we disagree with someone it is ok. People do not all have to agree all the time. One of our finest attributes is our ability to use critical thinking and forgive people for saying things which may offend us. American history has not been perfect by any means but we have built the only civilization in history where people of all races and ethnicities live together in relative harmony. On Sept 12, 2001 we all stood together as Americans. It did not matter how you grew up, what color you were, or how rich or poor you were. We were united against a common enemy, terrorism. Terrorists take to the streets overseas chanting death to America and we used to get angry, now our own citizens are chanting the same thing on the streets in Oakland. Civility is lost and I pray we find it before its too late.
Missing: Civility
If found please return to humanity as soon as possible
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