Thumper’s Mother

I can’t overstate the value "little" forums like this one. People coming together to share common links and connections is unappreciated and undervalued. We learn and share from each. But, we also have the opportunity show our humanity in a world with an overabundance of clicks, emojis, and shocking headlines. Sometimes the best version of ourselves is not what shows up on a given topic or remark. That’s what makes us "human", I suppose.

My friends at Unite.us and the University of Utah have put together a thing they refer to as a "Dignity Scale". The purpose was to evaluate an individual based on how much dignity that showed the other party, and not entirely on the content or voracity of the statement or argument they presented. It’s having an impact on politics, among other things, and seems to be getting some traction. The goal, of course, was to make people stop and take note of how they address others and show some level of dignity towards those they may not agree with. The moderators of this forum have no control over how much "dignity" they tolerate among members, nor should they. But, pausing for a moment before the performing a full body takedown might be helpful at times.

I wish I could say I don’t fail daily to be the best person I could be, but that would be a lie. I’m impatient, self-centered, and prone to jump to conclusions. Sadly, this leads to my words being careless at times. 
 

But I promise I’m trying. Bottom line is, I need grace and need to extend grace to others.
 

If we are aware and try to do our best caring for others, maybe that’s good enough. Maybe it has to be.  
 

I wish you all peace. 

I always thought that as long as politics are not involved, the discussions are usually pretty civilized.  I guess "usually" is the operative word.

Self governance is a wonderful concept. 
I attempt it every day