The past year has revealed a national contradiction. Americans who claim to support diversity and free speech recoil from the consequences and disagreement. As protests over Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, immigration, and other hot-button issues spread, we call for civility, but it is no longer a shared standard. The unrest points to a deeper truth: the problem isn’t just incivility. It’s the absence of consensus on what civility even means. How will we be remembered as a society and as individuals by our family, loved ones, friends, and colleagues?
How do we make people feel, and what do we do when it matters most?
Not by our job titles, our possessions, our footprint, or our social media presence.
The times we were there when everyone else disappeared
The support we offered and the patience we had when folks were struggling
The encouragement we continued to give when they doubted themselves
Whether we listened and waited to speak
How we treated them when they were stressed, tired, down and out, etc.
Will our family remember us when we're gone?
Will our family and friends remember whether we celebrated their wins or tolerated them?
Whether we inspired integrity, and whether we lifted them.
These uncomfortable truths strip away all the things we think matter.
They reveal what actually does... And so it goes.