Has Civility Become a Cliche’?

Today’s society believes in expressing yourself and exercising your civil rights but does that mean sacrificing civility? Has it become nonexistent and unimportant? Is it now just a cliche, meaning it has lost its original meaning and impact?

For example, Senator Mitt Romney recently spoke at a GOP conference in Utah and was booed. Now, as an etiquette consultant, I consider this uncivilized behavior. Whether you like the senator or not, agree with what he was saying or not, booing is completely rude and inappropriate.

Civility or being civilized means being polite, reasonable, behaving as civilized human beings. It means showing respect for others (you can disagree but not being rude) and self-control. These days we see the opposite behavior, an attitude of incivility and a total lack of self-control.

Not everyone believes the sayings; you reap what you sow, you get what you give, you should treat others the way you want to be treated, but these are true statements. Take a quick review of your life to see how you have behaved and how you have been treated in return.

Before civility disappears completely and we return to the barbaric society that initiated the need for these rules we must do something. Starting with members of government and others in high profile positions to the mainstream American to children we must all make every effort to rekindle civil conduct in all that we do. I’m talking about simply not being deliberately rude or impolite. Let’s begin with that.

Here is my challenge to you today. What is one thing you can do to help restore the practice of civility from cliche to normal conduct?