Civility, Yes, But First Reverence

JDavis, Lincoln, USGrant

Passionate calls for dis-order in the republic have been replaced overnight by a call for a new civility, based on the tragic events in Arizona. This is a fine thing; however, we would go a step further and say that without reverence, which is a much deeper commitment to the ideas, ceremonies, and beliefs of other people, there can be no true and lasting civility among people who either agree or disagree.

Why do we think this? As it happens, we were cleaning the bookshelves late last year, when we came upon a small forgotten book titled Reverence: Renewing A Forgotten Virtue by Paul Woodfruff. Oxford University published this book in 2001, a year in which we sorely needed it as it turned out.

As you know, we draw the line here at offering rants, sermons, speeches, and lectures, which you can find elsewhere simply by turning on your phone, TV, and soon probably your microwave.  Our usual purpose and aim is to be amusing; it's just that there are certain times when, as the teacher Dainin Katagiri says, "You have to say something."

Here's a little of what Woodruff says about reverence:

"Reverence begins in a deep understanding of human limitations; from this grows the capacity to be in awe of whatever we believe lies outside our control - God, truth, justice, nature, even death. The capacity for awe, as it grows, brings with it the capacity for respecting other human beings, flaws and all."

Red/Blue©2008TWMcDermott

"Voting in a democracy is a ceremony, and the peoples who turn out in large numbers to vote, unlike Americans, have a strong feeling for the value of ceremony. That feeling comes from reverence."


"To forget that you are only human, to think you can act like a god - this is the opposite of reverence. Ancient Greeks thought that tyranny was the height of irreverence, and they gave the famous name hubris to the crimes of tyrants. An irreverent soul is arrogant and shameless, unable to feel awe in the face of things higher than itself. As a result, an irreverent soul is unable to feel respect for people it sees as lower than itself..."


"It is a natural mistake to think that reverence belongs to religion. It belongs, rather, to community. Wherever people try to act together, they hedge themselves around with some form of ceremony or good manners, and the observance of this can be an act of reverence. Reverence lies behind civility and all of the graces that make life in society bearable and pleasant...."


And that is just in the first two chapters; there is much more and we recommend it, not just for reading, but for absorption into our lives.

But, how do we get to reverence? We repeat: we make no sermons here; however, our friend, Teacher Katagiri, may be helpful: Listen:

Leap©2009TWMcDermott

"When you really understand your life - when you really understand what makes it possible for all beings to exist - there is nothing to say. You just keep silent. But still you have to do something. This is why I always tell you to keep your mouth shut and act with true heart. Buddha-nature is the state of your life as you stand atop a hundred foot pole. you have to do something. Take one step."

Happy Landings.

Ed Note: You Have To Say Something by Dainin Katagiri, Edited by Steve Hagan, Shambala, 1998:
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-57062-462-9.cfm
Reverence:  http://www.amazon.com/Reverence-Renewing-Forgotten-Paul-Woodruff/dp/0195157958
Photo of Lincoln between Memoirs of both Jefferson Davis and US Grant from Thirdgarage's library. Collages by the author