Return to Civility: A Speed of Laughter Project

This simple little book has a simple little theme: "Act the way you want the world to be." Based on the observation that perhaps the world could be a bit more polite, a bit kinder, and a bit friendlier, John Sweeney and the folks at the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre have written Return to Civility: A Speed of Laughter Project. Containing 365 suggestions to help create a more civilized world, Return to Civility seeks to reclaim the appreciation once displayed for our fellow human beings, ourselves, and our planet.Motivated by his experience at a concert during which a Grammy Award-winning musician was forced to quit mid-song in order to ask the audience to ratchet down its conversation, author and speaker John Sweeney rallied the troops at his theater to come up with 365 ways to lead a more considerate, and considered, life. The ideas shared in Return to Civility are not about changing others; rather, they are a list of ways we can alter our own actions and behaviors.Current contributions range from practical ("Push in your chair when you leave a table"), to philosophical ("Practice hope"), to courteous ("Say 'excuse me'"), to downright obvious ("Always pull over for emergency vehicles"). None are intended to cure cancer or choose a government or end a war. What the book hopes to achieve is to remind all of us that our universal journey through life is easily enriched by simply remembering to be more civil.