Live United by Ann Austin

Being civil or kind is something many children are taught at a young age, but as we get older we can become jaded by our experiences or by the actions of people around us.

We all know the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But how often do we act outside our knowledge of what is good in order to appease our self-interests and get ahead?

Choose Civility is an effort I am proud to be a part of. Our goal is to encourage people from across the community to go beyond the Golden Rule and act, speak and live with kindness towards everyone.

What we don’t often realize is how our behavior can impact the community we live in on a large scale. Our behavior affects our home lives, workplaces and the physical, emotional and mental health of ourselves and those around us. Continual negative interactions create a culture of isolation.

People who are treated poorly feel discriminated against, unwelcome with others who do not look or act like them or share the same values. People feel left out; they may not be invited to join in or have anyone they feel close to.

Even among others, people feel lonely if their voices are not heard or if they feel trapped in a relationship or situation. People can be mentally or emotionally isolated. As we have noted with recent events, the “happiest” person can also be the loneliest.

It’s important that we make an effort to engage others and ask questions about their lives — that we are genuine with our concern and care for them. People suffer from all kinds of ailments throughout their lives — but no one should have to suffer from loneliness and isolation.

There are several events related to civility in October that I invite and encourage people to attend:

At 6 p.m. Oct. 2 a candlelight vigil will be held in New Denmark Park in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is a powerful event every year and helps us remember the voices of children, women and men that have been silenced. People who live with violence also live with a kind of loneliness and isolation most of us will never know. Each day brings new challenges, and they live in a state of constant fear with limited resources. They are often distanced from family and friends and unable to form close relationships with others.

The Blessing of the Animals at Central Park in Albert Lea will happen Oct. 11. Our efforts to be kind should not be limited to humans but all creatures who share this earth with us. All animals and their humans are invited.

Oct. 18 will be tea time for children in our community. Tea is a time when people slow down for a minute to reconnect. Part of having a more civil society is helping our children know how to take breaks and take time to interact meaningfully with others.

On Oct. 26 the Albert Lea Public Library will be hosting a kindness event for our children at 2 p.m. with stories, crafts, games and fun. This event offers kids and families fun, easy ways to talk about how to treat others and each other with kindness.

More information can be found on the Choose Civility website: http://www.choosecivilityfc.org/.

You never know what someone might be struggling with. Rather than break people down, we need to be intentional about lifting them up. We can’t solve many of the problems in our world, but we can each choose make it a little kinder.

 

Albert Lea resident Ann Austin is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.