The Gift of Grace.

Grace is a word you don't hear a lot these days. It needs to make a comeback. Dictionary.com defines grace as "elegance or beauty of manner, goodwill, favor." When one thinks about our public discourse, "grace" certainly doesn't come to mind. The division among us in the media, in politics, in many areas of everyday life, seems to be particularly harsh and mean-spirited. We seem increasingly prone to invective and judgement when it comes to the views of others, and we now deliver these judgements in anonymous forums like Twitter or behind the veil of provided by social media.

I was reading about Stoic Virtue this morning and came across this brilliant quote from Marcus Aurelius:

"Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option, to accept this event with humility, to treat this person as they should be treated, to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in."

There is no doubt in my mind that irrationality is at the core of many of our interactions, particularly with those we disagree. We seem to accept nothing with humility; instead we approach issues and people with certitude that we are right and they are wrong.

As Marcus Aurelius shows us, this problem is not new -- it's as old as civilization. But it's become more acute as technology has allowed us to confront others without a face, without a name, and without consequence. Who would say any of the things that people write on social media if they have to say it face-to-face?

We need more grace. We need to think more and speak less. We need to be mindful that people are human, have feelings, and make mistakes.

We need to be more humble.