Resolve to Be Reasonable, Respectful in 2012

It's been said that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.

If I have to spell out the second part of that statement, we're in worse shape than I thought.

I have many wishes for the new year, but overriding them all is a call for calm, a return to reasonable, respectful debate. I've said I learned more from the people I disagree with than those who nod along with me, but I can't learn anything if my form of debating is to see how much more personally I can attack them, or if I can yell louder.

Elections and politics always seem to make people so....angry. Anger is an emotion, which is never a good way to argue a point. I gently ask for anyone who wants to post a snarky retort because the person making an opposing point made you angry, to take a breath first, and instead state what you believe and why.

While personal attacks really don't bother me, they do have a very negative effect on other readers who are intelligent, reasonable people who decide not to enter the discussion for fear of repercussions. If our country was built on the concept of a true marketplace of ideas, give each other a break. Really. Comment, but don't bully.

Really, no one hates children. No one wants to kill grandma. Not everything that appears on the city's agenda is meant to deceive, cover up or prevent people from their chance to speak. Those are 'straw man' arguments and are a monumental waste of time, and are really beneath us.

Save the tin hats and horn blowing for new year's parties, and we'll all get through this year unscathed, and perhaps a little kinder and smarter than when we began.