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Jennifer Anderson
Comm 1270
Prof. Pierce
Oct.29, 2015
Working Toward Civility
In a world that feels like it is falling apart, civility is the founding principle that keeps
society working together. From confrontation to defense one can hope for no better than
impulsive, rash consequences without a forethought toward civility. It is also one of our
greatest challenges.
We live in a very individualistic culture that views self-expression as a vital means of
telling people about who we are. However, our desires for individuality, knowledge and even
our motivations are creating a power exchange that is detrimental to the future of public
policy and cultural norms. (World Congress) As this World Congress tries to distinguish natural
conditions from evolution you convey exclusions to family potential.
Our individuality is a defining characteristic of human nature that is constantly being
challenged and broadened. It conveys certain distinctions of who we are and how we expect
people to treat us, while at the same time limiting our influence on the world through personal
education, possessions, and experience. In the article, Culture and Self Expression by Heejung
Kim she states that Not everyone in a culture views the actions of speech and disclosure in a
culturally normative way. Behavioral patterns differ as a function of individual experience,
type of relationships, personality, and participation in cultural sub-groups. (Kim)
Our uncommon life styles are no less inspirational now than they were over a millennia
ago. It is irrational to assume social groups should discontinue to distinguish themselves
through their nationality, certificates or stature to the exclusion of many others. As we pride

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ourselves on our unique qualities, it is our desire for domination that leads to discrimination
barriers and inhibits us from engaging in more civil solutions.
An article in the New York times once quoted Stephen Hawking saying, I have always
tried to overcome the limitations of my condition (Dreifus) The conditions of our human
experience will continue to define our social circumstances, and as such we must become more
effective caretakers of our individuality. We are only able to expand our influence by enhancing
our relationships with others.
The limitations of our knowledge are expressions of our existence. Media bombards us
daily with information that is perspective based, some of it is based in truth while much of it
goes unsubstantiated. Our perspectives are often formed through our experiences that allows
us to refer correlating information to each other. Even the way that we learn is causing
frustration for those who struggle to understand. (i.e. illiteracy, dyslexia, ADHD, memory, etc.)
For example, instead of information that is looking to improve the quality of interaction
with others through collaboration, we expose ourselves to interpretation through suggestion.
Its a problem that Professor Sam Wang tries to explain in a neuroscience panel discussion on
Unlocking the Secrets and Powers of the Brain by the National Science Foundation, where
after a certain point of gathering evidence people, will stop gathering evidence, even if that
evidence will help them make more accurate decisions. (NSF) This kind of information
gathering is misleading and not congruent with civility. Not only is this kind of assumed power
misleading, I dont believe it is congruent with any long term goals that support civility.
Conjecture is only as reliable as it is based on logical conclusions. As long as the World
Congress of Families continues to assume that ideologies challenge the familys very legitimacy

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as an institution, (World Congress) solutions will continue to evade you. This is why honesty
must coincide with our other values. For without the power exchange that happens in relation
to trust, truth can only remain an assumption.
An unmoderated author on a philosophy website described self expression as a unique
act of displayingindividual properties ofrecognition and regard associated with the
expression for the sake of (both) extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. (Unmoderated) As adults
most of us already understand that it is human nature to fail but sometimes we need help in
realizing how information is impairing societys ability to recover from it. The University of
British Columbia openly acknowledges the physical, emotional, academic and career,
organizational, social and financial influences that are effected by discrimination and
harassment on their website under conflict management. (UBC) What makes us a family is not
only within a description but it is also in our actions as well.
Which brings me to motivation. It is humanities greatest strength and also our most
burdensome challenge. There is a huge chasm between what two people know that must be
navigated before they can reach a true understanding. In the mean time, we are left with
ancient proverbs like, the road to hell is paved with good intentions (Unknown) that help us
circumvent potential controversy. This is also why it is so vital that we realize how our
similarities may only be found in exposing our intentions.
When we as individuals can realize, and accept, that our actions are not independent of
the whole but are part of a worldwide community, it motivates us to search for diplomacy. We
no longer search outside of ourselves to comprehend the complexity of independent
intentions. This just makes assessing our reasoning difficult to articulate to others. Our family

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bonds become strongest when faced with opposition because individuals place their
differences aside in their fight for an interdependent preservation.
Perhaps you are one of those individuals that prefer to think that what happens to
others doesnt concern you or that you dont have the power to change anything. It might be
easier for you, like it sometimes is for me, to separate yourself from those in our society that
make poor choices, to condemn them to whatever fate they have chosen. There is also the
proverbial eye for an eye theology. However true any of these justifications might be, I have
seen no lasting benefits that encourage civility from that kind of thinking.
That is why I believe that the ancient Greek phrase, Know Thyself (Wilkins, 4) still
dominates our culture today. It suggests we must not impulsively follow a popular consensus or
perhaps even our first instinct but should come to our conclusions through our own world view.
When we can set aside temporary conflicts in our quest for wisdom we allow ourselves to
comprehend our greater responsibility to the disadvantaged. Accomplishment of individual
social goals does not nullify the significance of a diminishing a community. If our desire is to
retain the power to control our own destiny, we shouldnt be so quick to throw it around.
By not understanding our motivations, our social family has become subject to the
limitations that relinquish individual powers to circumstance and occasion. It holds us captive to
the exchange of powers around us, constantly moving but never leading us anywhere. The
World Congress of Families has the power to stand alongside the Soldiers Creed of I will never
leave a fallen comrade, (US Army) the question is will you?
Our desires for individuality, knowledge and even our motivations are creating a power
exchange that is detrimental to the future of public policy and cultural norms. (World

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Congress) As the World Congress of Families tries to distinguish natural conditions from
evolution you are conveying exclusions to family potential. We need you to support selfexpression as a means of enhancing imagination and innovation in an effort to unify our social
goals. I ask you to join us in creating a better existence that includes living and working toward
goals of civility and collaboration in a coordinated exchange of dignity and respect.
In their book, The Way Were Working, Isnt Working, authors Tony Swartz, Jean
Gomes, and Catherine McCarthy explain, Value is a word that carries multiple levels of
meaning. The ultimate measure of our effectiveness is the value we create. The ultimate
measure of our satisfaction is the value feel. The ultimate measure of our character is the value
we embody. (Schwartz, Gomes & Mc Carthy, 25)
Help us to erase the codes of discrimination and status. Help us to enhance unity and
compassion. Help us to become a more cohesive family.

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Citations
World Congress of Families. Our Purpose. Accessed Oct. 27, 2015 at
http://worldcongress.org/about/purpose
Kim, Heejung S.(2010) Culture and Self Expression American Psychological Association. June
2010. Accessed Oct. 29, 2015 at http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2010/06/sci-brief.aspx
Dreifus, Claudia A Conversation with Stephen Hawking: Life and The Cosmos, Word by
Painstaking Word New York Times. (2011) Web. Accessed Oct. 27, 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/science/10hawking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
National Science Foundation and Discover Magazine (NSF) Unlocking The Secrets And Powers
Of The Brain 11th video discussion. Accessed Nov. 7, 2015 at
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_images.jsp?cntn_id=114979&org=NSF
Unmoderated member. Nature of Self Expression Philosophy forums.com (2013) Accessed
Oct. 27, 2015. Web. http://forums.philosophyforums.com/threads/nature-of-self-expression62574.html
University of British Columbia. Web. Accessed Nov 9, 2015 at
http://equity.ubc.ca/discrimination/impact-and-consequences/
Unknown. The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions Phrase Finder. Web. Accessed Oct.
30, 2015 http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-goodintentions.html
Wilkins, Eliza Gregory. Know Thyself, In Greek and Latin Literature. Google books. Google.
(1917) Web. Accessed Oct. 30, 2015. https://books.google.com/books?id=gK1fAAAAMAAJ&pg
Soldiers Creed United States Army. (US Army) Accessed Nov 7, 2015 at
http://www.army.mil/values/soldiers.html
Swartz, T., Gomez, J. & McCarthy, C. The Way Were Working Isnt Working: The Four
Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance. Google books. Google. (2010) Web.
Accessed Oct. 28, 2015.
https://books.google.com/books?id=irHi3KVEDjcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summ
ary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false