Dr. Martin L. King’s: “Letter From The Birmingham Jail”

-Insights & Intel Regards Civility..The Why? Behind Civility and our duty to respect others.

The Insights & Intel give rise to the understanding of being dissatisfied with the extremes of:

• Aggressive Hostility-Duplicity Politeness 

The learning curve of wisdom, knowledge, and a better understanding of the inherent persona of humanity

Civility vs Politeness

The fundamental difference is the interchangeable reference to mannerism, etiquette, and the standards of social awareness and living well together. Civility is the motivation behind our conduct as we see others. It is a way of Moral Equal and being worthy of basic respect 

 In the letter Dr. King identifies ways of being that allow each person of different ethnicity and culture to navigate life together. While in the throes of their deeply respective cultural differences.

Thus the core of civility gives rise to the ‘aspect of civility’, as a deposition, which recognizes and respects the common humanity of respective persons. Such that brings to the forefront the fundamentals of such personhood {the inner workings of what life exposure has been manifested to shape the intestinal fortitude of inherent insights and Intel}.   

Deep Dive Into The Inherent Dignity of Respective Persons

The dignity of personhood for the humanity of the respective person comes from the evolution process of inherent civility situations. Such, at times, may be coupled with certain actions in ways that may appear deeply impolite. Which translates to telling and/or giving other difficult truths or even engaging in civil disobedience.

 As an example, Dr. King uses the Biblical passages of the Three Hebrew Boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These Three men prove to be Very Brave. So Brave enough to stand against King Nebuchadnezzar. Due to their Faith and Belief in a Power Of Higher Authority, they rejected the Order to Bow Down and worship the King. As Devout Christians they were willing to face being thrown in the Lion's Den rather than to renounce their Faith and Belief in God, Of Course, they survived the conquest of King Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore the King had no choice but to recant and disavow his initial orders with no consequence to the three Hebrew Boys, Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

In conclusion, the revelation shared by Dr. King was when we are uncivil to others, we hurt ourselves. He went on to reveal that racist laws gave the ‘segregator’ a false sense of superiority and the ‘segregated’ a false sense of inferiority. Just like segregation, incivility often deforms the soul of both the abuser and the abused. Also, like segregation, incivility often originates from an inaccurately low view of personhood. Often people lash out at others because of their own inaccurate view of self.

This can usually manifest in their deriving validation from abusing others. But harming others only make them feel lesser. Appreciating the gift of being human----and realizing that when we hurt  others with our uncivility, we actually hurt ourselves ---it is central to reclaiming basic decency in our own inherent world.

Steve Braxton, Freelance/Critical Writer, Contributing Blogger, Hall Of Fame Storyteller, Narrator& Orator, Author of Non-Fiction Books, and National Poetry Contest Winner of “Best Poets of 2022 & 2023” a compilation,Library of Congress Cataloging Data ISBN #978-1-60880-746-8