The new year is a good time to reflect on the past and resolve to make changes for the better.
The continued, bitter partisan debates at the national level, fed by a 24/7 news cycle, contribute to an overall atmosphere of incivility in public life. This sometimes spills over to divisive local issues, such as the smoking ban, E-Verify requirements or the proposed anti-discrimination ordinance.
While we try to keep name-calling and bomb-throwing to a minimum on these pages, today is a good day to ask all to consider the 10 Tenets of Civility, developed by the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project.
The group's mission, supported through resolutions by key local government and business leaders, is "to increase effective engagement in Springfield and Greene County by creating a more welcoming and respectful environment where all people's views are encouraged and heard."
The 10 tenets are:
Be attentive: Live with awareness toward others and your surroundings.
Acknowledge others: Greet people, ideas and values with respect.
Be inclusive: Recognize and welcome all people every day.
Listen: Seek to understand by concentrating on what other people say.
Respect other views: Respond to different opinions with a fair and open mind.
Speak out with courage: Express yourself with honor and conviction.
Act with compassion: Treat others with kindness and honesty.
Give and accept constructive feedback: Consider criticism thoughtfully and factually.
Treat your environment with respect: Show regard for nature, resources and shared spaces.
Be accountable: Acknowledge mistakes and take responsibility for your actions.
Of these, two stand out as most important to users and contributors to these pages.
The first is to respect other views, and the Civility Project advises that "respecting other opinions requires self-esteem, self-control, sensitivity, fairness and generosity. Respond to differences of opinion with a fair and open mind. Seek out opportunities to learn about viewpoints contrary to your own."
We know many readers come to these pages with the idea of learning other views, even if they feel uncomfortable expressing their own views.
But that brings us to the second key tenet - speak out with courage.
We need your contributions to make these pages a true forum for local debate of key issues. Here, the Civility Project's advice is also valuable: "Speak about things that matter. Speak your mind not for the sake of convincing others, but to be understood."
Here's to a happy new year filled with rigorous - but civil - debate!