Civility: The Gate of Society

When people travel to other countries, whether on vacation or for business, the biggest comment you'll ever hear is just how nice the people are. I found myself sharing the same opinion after living in Japan for a couple of years. Using my own country as a comparison, I found Japan to be amazing. I observed examples of being nice practically everywhere I traveled in the country. What I learned was civility and niceties are a permanent fabric in Japanese society. Besides the presence of hierarchal relationships at every level, politeness was constantly displayed both to persons familiar with one another, and to two strangers meeting for the first time.

I bring all this up to stress a point. We are all drawn to politeness and civility. We want to be treated with respect. And if the entire country seeks to treat one another with a degree of respect and difference, the things we feel are gone, nationalism, unity, respect, and national conviction, would most certainly re-emerge.