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Time for Courtesy
"These are the times that try men's souls." — Thomas Paine
On one hand, the last
few decades have introduced incredible advancements in technology. New
conveniences crop up every day. The abundance and variety of foods at
the local market is something I never imagined as a child. On the surface,
it appears that we are living in "the best of times,"
to quote Charles Dickens. But the best of times was only half of
this famous quote. In certain respects we are living in "the
worst of times" as well.
Wars, terrorism, unemployment, a fragile economy just
rising from the brink of collapse, and a society so distracted by technology
and constant entertainment it can scarcely uphold the things that are
meaningful. The once healthy tension of political ideologies now has many
of us snapping at each other's throats. Inappropriate fear and anger are
being encouraged by the media to the point that it threatens everything
we believe in. As individuals, we feel little hope in changing things
for the better.
You and I have little or no control over the wars and
politics of the Middle East. We just inherit the debt and mourn the losses.
The insanity of terrorism lies outside our influence as well. Many, if
not most of us, continue to suffer in various respects from current economic
conditions. As for the media, we can always turn a skeptical ear away
from the propaganda, or write letters of complaint, or change the channel,
or shut the radio and television off.
But there is something positive that we can do also,
something we have to do if we hope to protect the very best
of our own human nature. We can stop allowing ourselves to be shaped by
the events around us, including the proliferation of anger and fear. We
can live up to the principles we really believe in. Our patriotism need
not be limited to regional concerns, but can include the overall ideals
that America was founded upon.
We start by displaying the healthy self-control and
moral dignity of acting with courtesy toward others. Yelling, threats
and angry demonstrations are signs of regression, not patriotism or heroism.
The inability to communicate with courtesy and reason is not something
to be admired. It is not a sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness,
a refuge for those who do not know how to cope or effect change properly.
Some adopt bullish behavior and use it to get what
they want. What they fail to realize is that such victories come at a
terrible cost. When social courtesies are ignored, the society becomes
more coarse, more unreasonable, more contentious. Temporary personal gains
produce long term losses. Problems multiply and resolutions are thwarted.
Instead of teaching our children proper behavior that will make them happy
and capable, we slight their growth with all the wrong lessons.
As a civilized people, we actually start to devolve.
Even freedom loses its main significance, which is the attainment of our
full potential.
Our nation was founded on ideals based on reason and
virtue. If we do not incorporate reason and virtue into our relationships
with other people, including strangers, we are not living up to the expectations
of our founders.That includes courtesy.
We live in the best and worst of times. And yes, they
try our souls. But we must not succumb to barbarity. We must not only
defend our ideals, we must live up to them as well.
The
Golden Rule tells us to "do unto others as you would have
them do unto you." That was written thousands of years ago.
That it has morphed into "do unto others before they
do unto you" is something that should shock us all into serious
reflection.
It
is time that we take our behavior seriously in everything we do.
