The epidemic of being rude

In this day and age the escape outlets for interacting with others and the many technological walls that we are granted has lazied society's manners toward one another...and it's just plain obnoxious. You do not have to like everyone or agree with everyone, but you never need to be rude when trying to get your point across...

I feel one of the biggest social epidemic's is the lack of respect toward one another, which can spiral into bullying, hate, abuse, violence, war etc.

An excerpt from "Choosing Civility", from Dr. P.M Forni:

"When we slow down the pace of attention we do justice to life by taking it seriously. When we pay attention we do justice to the presence of others in our lives. Attention entails a transcending of the Self. Through it we confer value upon the lives of others. When I show you that you are worthy of my attention, I am acknowledging and honoring your worth.

Although attention is a reading of what is around us, it is also timely self-awareness. We want to be aware of how we are reacting to the circumstances at the very time we are reacting to them. We want to make sure that there is a good fit between how we feel and what we do. Somebody's words hurt us and we perceive a swell of outrage inside. Let's stop for a moment to pay attention to it. Is it warranted? Are we overreacting? Are we about to respond in a way we will soon regret?

Acknowledge others' existence, their importance to you, their feelings, and the things they do for you. Acknowledgment comes in many forms: remembering someone's name, paying a thoughtful compliment, summarizing what was just said for a newcomer to the conversation, holding a door open to let someone through, welcoming, thanking, and just plain saying hello."

"Every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present."

—George Washington

xo

M