Is civility dead?

"Boy, oh boy - do we need a national 99 days of generosity. If nothing else, letting an unkind word go unsaid."

It is late in the afternoon on Easter Sunday. Early this morning I listened to our home church's Easter message on the internet. Then we went to a new church with our daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Both the Easter message on the internet and the one we heard live at the new church were very good. And very similar. They were about hope, forgiveness, and love. Heavy on love.

As I was listening on the internet, and as I was listening in church later on, my mind was racing. I get it. I understand the message. Every year I learn more and more about this love thing. And yet, I don't get it at all. Our society has become uncivil. It has become unlikable. It has also become unloving and unlovable. People my age (sometimes a bit older) act like junior high school kids. Name calling. Coarse language. Treating women like garbage. It really does make me sick.

My Father has been gone now for over 10 years. I have said this many times - he was my hero. Not a perfect man, but a very good man indeed. When I was growing up, he constantly talked to me about being a gentleman. About being nice to people. Getting along with people. And my Dad was very good at it. It was critically important to him that I grew up knowing how to treat other people - especially women. 

As we sat in church today, one of the leaders talked about a program they were doing right after Easter. It was called 99 days of generosity. And the generosity could range from money, to service, to saying a kind word. Letting an unkind word go unsaid. As I listened, I thought about our civility today. Especially in politics. Boy, oh boy - do we need a national 99 days of generosity. If nothing else, just letting an unkind word go unsaid.

Earlier today as I was waiting for the family to get up, I watched a news show. On that show was a woman who had was clinically dead for 10 minutes. In that clinical death, see saw Heaven. An in Heaven, she saw God. She understood that God did not only teach love, He is love. And when we show love to another, we are showing God. 

As I thought about that more and more, I know I have some work to do. As my Father was one of my heroes, so was Ronald Reagan. He knew how to disagree without being disagreeable. He, like my Father, understood civility.

We need to get back to that standard. Because our new standard stinks. We are better than that. We need to listen to that Easter message and step up our game.