Time to Begin

"I don't like that tone of voice, mister!"  Not infrequently do I remember my mom warning me that my next disrespectful comment might well be my last.  I wasn't that difficult a kid, but a lack of civility  could creep into our discourse from time to time.  As we continue to find ways to find the path for civil discourse in our many and varied settings, the tone of the conversation bothers me more than my argument with the content.  It seems that honest disagreement about a political candidate or an issue escalates very quickly into nastiness, name calling, and over emotional reactions.  The so-called public discussion resembles a winner take all contest held in an outdoor arena where death is the desire for the pre-decided enemy.  What shall we do? Part of our common vocabulary are phrases like "take a deep breath" or "take a pill."  You hear these when it is clear that someone is on the verge of breaking a blood vessel.  Now is the time to take a step back and consider our common future.  We will not do that without some commitment to our city, country and world.  It appears that few schools teach civics ie. how society functions and the role of responsible citizenship.  And does anyone teach civil behavior?  Yes, I'm talking about the basics like saying 'please' and 'thank you.'  But I'm also talking about having enough regard for other human beings that we 'take a deep breath' and invite those with whom we disagree to sit a table with us for a 'time to reason together." The Heart of the Matter is  to practice creative, curious (learning from someone else, especially one who views things differently) and listening and responding to each new situation.