Breakdown of Choosing Civility

When approaching meditation as a novice like anything new you begin to categorize and assign key ideas based on the generalization of the word. One would expect when discussing the topic of mediation key components would arise to conform to the American Heritage Dictionary definition, “a devotional exercise of contemplation or a contemplative discourse” (Heritage, 1982). In such an exercise as mediation how would a simple subject of civility impact your ability to reflect and improve on upon yourself? Forni proposes that, “as a society we take a new, close look at that intriguing code of behavior based on respect, restraint and responsibility we call civility” (M., 2002, p.14); with in mind, one can correlate the relationship civility plays in mediation with Forni’s book Choosing Civility.
Three conceptual pillars of civility, respect, restraint and responsibility in place the foundation for achieving a beneficial meditational experience is essentially achievable; from everyday life experiences we can confidently state, everyone has moment of incivility but placing stabilization on your actions can directly affect the growth in your meditation experience. Forni begins to support this by stating, “As an art, civility has rules one can learn and facility with these rules can improve with practice. This is good news. The bad news is that often we are unable to imagine the benefits of that learning and practice. We thus leave untapped a resource that would prove invaluable in increasing the quality of our lives” (M., 2002, p.34). The unstoppable presence of incivility will always be a bump in our proverbial road of life; the ability to remain in a state, a state of civility, is a chance to improve your quality of life and those around you. Meditation as a stepping stone in these situations provides a great learning point and gives one the ability to grow, and keep improving.
To further understand the idea of civility and the large role it plays within everyday