Civility is a habit

@TheRayCenter #CharacterCounts

Maria was concerned that her son, Tim, had a few bad habits.  As they were walking through the park, Maria had an idea.  Stopping suddenly, she asked Tim to pull out a weed growing by the sidewalk.

 Tim held the weed between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. Maria then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger weed. Tim pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all.

 “Now pull out that one,” said Maria, pointing to a very large weed. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.

 “Now take this one out,” said Maria, pointing at a tree. Tim grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. “It’s impossible,” said Tim.

 “It is the same with bad habits,” said Maria. “When they are young it is easy to pull them out.  But once they have grown, it is difficult for them to be uprooted.”

Showing civility and good character is easier when it is a habit rather than an infrequent random act. The more we practice civility, not only will it become easier, it will remain rooted into who we are.

Learn more about character education.