NEW: Civility and Decorum are Required, page 5

reply to post by SkepticOverlord

I agree. We are a mature, intelligent board that doesn't need to run down another board member's opinion.

I try not to run anybody else's opinion down and act mature. I am 44, so if I can't behave mature on a board then something is wrong with me.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but not at the disrespect of another person.

People's voices are valuable and their views, also. However, it shouldn't come at the cost of name calling, or anything that shows disrespect to somebody else.

I always try to remember that before I answer any forum. If it is something too close to me, I either bite my tongue, or read what others have to say. Sometimes, if somebody says something out of ignorance, I ignore them. However, if they show what made them feel so strongly by a link, I check it out.

I won't condemn another member of the board for their views. We have one of the greatest freedoms and that is the 'freedom of speech', but that freedom shouldn't be allowed to impose itself on another person in a disrespectful manner.

I have read some topics which are quite heated in their debate, and I guess people forget that real people exist in cyberspace and are vulnerable. Just because we can't be seen, our voices can be heard. We have to remember the power of the words in which we write and that they can cause harm or offense to another sitting on the other end reading what we have written.

We are not chips and binary circuits, but real people communicating and it is a privilege that we shouldn't take for granted.

Just because we can't see each other doesn't give us any excuse to be anti-social and disagreeable. Respect is the name of the game. One of the things that I do like about ATS is that we are allowed to voice our views constructively and respectfully, which is something which isn't seen on many boards.

We don't have to run another member down to give our opinion. If you feel strongly about something provide a link.

We are not perfect, none of us are, and we tend to forget that. However, regardless we belong to one race, 'the human race', which makes us who and what we are. We can debate without anti-social behaviour, because we are a group of intelligent, like-minded people. It is a privilege to be a member of ATS.

I have made friends on this board and have learned a lot from other members. When I am not contributing to the board, I am reading and taking on board other people's views.

The world isn't black and white, and it isn't simple. The world is complex, the universe is complex and we are complex. It is the complexities that bond us here on the board of ATS and we are working together to understands the ties that bind us.

love, light and peace to all of you