
"Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values."
THE DALAI LAMA
THE DALAI LAMA
Everything changes and CIVIL-ISATION clarifies an ideal we can all aim for, without prescribing a fixed ideology.
- Creating a climate of respect which does not conflict with the key principles of any faith or personal belief system.
However, giving all the ‘dignity of respect’ also makes life easier for us, promoting wellbeing and peace.
So here are 7 ways this ethos might effect our daily conversation and help promote a positive culture:
RESPECT BEFORE THE LAW
❝ As I've been in prison, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to have anything to do with me. ❞
❝ On the contrary, even if I personally disliked your actions, it wouldn't effect the respect I give to you as a human with the right to dignity. ❞
1
JUDGING CHARACTER
JUDGING CHARACTER
❝ That person made a valid point but how can I trust this character when you think of their past? ❞
❝ We all have a 'past' but if someone says something I consider valid, I will acknowledge it, while their past is their own affair. ❞
2
PUNISHMENT
PUNISHMENT
❝ Don't you think for a crime like that the perpetrator should go to prison? ❞
❝ It's not for me to judge and I'm not perfect anyway. That's why we have independent courts, to consider the best solution when we break our laws. ❞
3
HATE
HATE
❝ I hate that person so much for what they've done, don't you? ❞
❝ Your hate is your personal concern and even if I struggle not to hate them too, I recognise this won't help them or myself. ❞
4
RECIPROCAL VIOLENCE
RECIPROCAL VIOLENCE
❝ I had every right to hit them because they hit me first. ❞
❝ I am not responsible for your actions nor would I seek to judge them, but surely reciprocal violence is what we teach children to avoid. ❞
5
EVIL
EVIL
❝ I know the bad they've done & they're just evil.❞
❝ If they have broken the law, then I hope the law deals with them appropriately but I will not condemn them myself and they still deserve the dignity of respect. ❞
6
ANGER
ANGER
❝ Their action has made me so angry I've every right to hate them.❞
❝ Your anger might be my concern but I don't feel it is my business. It might be understandable but I can't see it as a justification for hate. ❞
7
"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."
MARK TWAIN
"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored
than to anything on which it is poured."
MARK TWAIN