At this time in our history as a nation, it’s worth reading the list of rules of civility our first President created for himself. When he was a young schoolboy in Virginia, George Washington wrote by hand a list of 110 ‘Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.’ Unsurprisingly, the list is broadly based on a 16th-century set of Jesuit guidelines.
Much of this is about etiquette, offering pointers on such issues as how to dress, walk, eat in public and address one’s superiors. But don’t think of it as “mere” etiquette. There is moral guidance here …
