“I will make a consistent effort to promote civility in all of my interactions.”
This is the eighth and final rule of the civility pledge. I often think about this when I have a bad day or am feeling down. Even if I am upset about something or not feeling my best, I never, ever want to feel as though I’m taking it out on other people, especially strangers who have done nothing wrong.
Perhaps when things are not going our way we start to shut down and make less of an effort to please other people. That’s totally understandable. But, picking fights, complaining to the server at your favorite restaurant, and taking out your anger on others won’t solve anything. It will probably only make you feel worse. It also starts a negative cycle. You are in a bad mood, and treat someone else poorly. Now that person is in a bad mood, and so on and so forth.
I’d like to think that civility is so ingrained in us that it should be a natural reflex. We smile and say thank you when a cashier hands us our change. We greet those who greet us. We hold the door open for the person behind us. These are all habits of a civil person. Being in a bad mood shouldn’t change that. It’s important to keep the negativity from invading everything.