For the past week, I've been writing comments on this site. In particular, I've focused on the Courtesy Kos group.
The reason for this is my dedication to making civility a household word. Civil discussion in public squares is what prompted the creation of this country, and is what can return it to being a model for the rest of the world.
But more practically, civility is what allows people to grow. Without calm, careful, amicable, and intelligent discussion, we drive each other into corners and begin to assume that there are "teams" that we are either for or against. As a result, everyone suffers mentally, emotionally, and materially.
When we are at our best, we are more creative, have a thirst for knowledge, enjoy more both the company of others and our own solitude, and end up sacrificing less in order to produce more for everyone.
Many of my first comments here were posted in an attempt to stimulate increased civility on this site and support those who were doing the same. I present them here as examples of what I think civility means. They can be seen after the jump.