Page 51 - FDCC Flyer Spring 2022

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Civility: Being Humble & Kind
By Marc Harwell
Marc Harwell
I think that most people want to interact and deal with one another in a civil manner. The Golden Rule of “treat others as you would
To deal with such bombardment and be truly civil with an adversary, an employee or contractor who fails you, and others upon whom you are reliant, the messages of FedLife and FedServes are relevant. Rest, relaxation, health (physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual), and a sense of service to others can help you have the capacity to deal with uncivil behavior and comments,
to deal with disappointment, frustration, and even anger, and have the wherewithal and energy reserves to change the narrative.
The airplane safety instruction about putting on the oxygen mask first in the event of an emergency before coming to the aid of another seems apropos. When dealing with a crisis of incivility, making the right preparations day-in and day-out
to have the energy, the attitude, and the wherewithal to absorb the uncivil blow and cleverly respond or take affirmative action can be
crucial to the interactions and dealings.
I like Tim McGraw’s song – “Humble and Kind.” The life of
a lawyer requires a bit more. We also need strength and a cunning ability to be impactful to succeed
in the practice of law. So commit
to being humble, kind, strong, and impactful. Make exercise, reflection, rest, forward and active thinking rather than wholly reactionary responsiveness, and a commitment to others, habits in your life. By arming yourself with such habits, you position yourself to make
civil interaction your most natural course of dealing.
Marc Harwell, is the founder and managing partner at The Harwell Law Group, PLLC, in Chattanooga, TN. He is also a Senior Director of the FDCC Board. Contact him at: marc@harwelllawgroup.com.
have them treat you” is a principle that features prominently in most religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, etc. Love your neighbor as yourself is the Christian correlation.
If most people want to live by this laudable principle, why do we seem to experience and witness
so much incivility? We are living in “overdrive” – bombarded by time demands, information overload, pressure to achieve goals and manage expectations that may seem unrealistic (coaches in college and professional sports who are fired after only one year comes to mind as an example), and performance measures that impact quality of life issues.
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