Civility: Why we need to cultivate it in America today.

Civility : noun [ci·​vil·​i·​ty | \ sə-ˈvi-lə-tē]

plural : civilities

Definition of civility

1) Archaic usage: training in the humanities

2A: civilized conduct especially: courtesy, politeness bemoaned the decline of civility in our politics.

2B: a polite act or expression lacked the little civilities and hypocrisies of political society — Roy Jenkins. “The men briefly exchanged civilities before the meeting began”.

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The Problem:

Civility is a word that receives short shrift in America today. Seldom do we run across an article of any length that focuses on what is rapidly becoming a lost art in the United States of America. When we do, it is typically limited to a few brief sentences (truncated, no doubt, so as to not unduly challenge the attenuated attention span of most social media hangers-on).

Civility, upon an initial glance, seems to have an association with the word ‘civilisation’ and indeed it does, just as does the word ‘civics’ (the study of the rights and duties of citizenship), as both are now in a state of deplorable decline across all lines & classes of American society and culture.