Baseline of Civility

When we disagree
Is everything now in question?
Are we just one conversation away
From being sworn enemies?
One false step
From being cancelled?
Perhaps one of the greatest disappointments
Of modern life
And life on the internet,
Is that while we can now
Rub up against a mind-numbingly
Vast number of people
That we would have never encountered
Outside of the Internet,
We are also
Remarkably willing
To throw in the towel
And walk out on one another-
Being the proverbial kid
Who quits the game
And takes her ball home
When she isn’t winning.
Maybe one of the consequences
Of living in a global village
Is to be forced to consider
If you have a broad enough
Baseline of civility
To co-exist and engage
With other actual human beings.

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