Civility, politeness and good manners are things that we teach our children. We hope that if we can instill civility in our community, in our world, there would be less hatred, bullying, suffering. P. M. Forni has written books on Civility. The first, "
Choosing Civility", includes 25 rules of considerate conduct. These rules are very basic, and appear to be very easy to follow:
- Pay attention
- Acknowledge others
- Think the best
- Listen
- Be inclusive
- Speak kindly
- Don't speak ill
- Accept and give praise
- Respect even a subtle "no"
- Respect others' opinions
- Mind your body
- Be agreeable
- Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
- Respect other people's time
- Respect other people's space
- Apologize earnestly
- Assert yourself
- Avoid personal questions
- Care for your guests
- Be a considerate guest
- Think twice before asking for favors
- Refrain from idle complaints
- Accept and give constructive criticism
- Respect the environment and be gentle
- Don't shift responsibility and blame
P.M. Forni also wrote a second book, called
The Civility Solution: What to do when people are rude. It's sad that we have to learn how to respond to situations like a salesperson ignoring you while she has a personal conversation with a co-worker; or a fellow driver giving you the infamous "finger". How do we react to those rude people? Maintaining civility, politeness and good manners in all respects can be quite the challenge. I applaud those who can maintain their sense of cool when things heat up. I will be picking up these books, and they look like they are easy reads. I remember reading about etiquette. Now it's called civility.
Professor Forni can be seen here, on YouTube"
Civility: Commitment to Kindness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL8nvCmR7P4&feature=related
Let's be more civil to each other. Let's put an end to rudeness!
~ Angela Gentile
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