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Most people think they know what civility means. They picture holding doors open, saying please and thank you, avoiding raised voices at dinner parties. Civility, in the common imagination, is a thin veneer of politeness that keeps social interactions running smoothly. It is the lubricant of daily life, nothing more.
**Author:** M. Scott Peck **Estimated Reading Time:** 45 minutes
**What You'll Learn:**
- Why true civility goes far beyond politeness and manners - How narcissism silently destroys organizations and relationships - The difference between a job and a genuine calling - Why healthy organizations must embrace conflict rather than avoid it - How community building transforms groups from superficial to authentic - The radical idea that real leaders give power away
**Who This Book Is For:**
This book is for anyone who has ever felt that something essential is missing from their workplace, their community, or their relationships. It is for leaders who sense that authority alone cannot create genuine commitment. It is for individuals who suspect that their professional life lacks deeper meaning. It is for anyone who has experienced the emptiness of superficial politeness and longs for something more authentic. If you have ever wondered why organizations so often become toxic despite good intentions, or why people treat each other as objects rather than as fellow human beings, this book offers a diagnosis and a path forward.
Most people think they know what civility means. They picture holding doors open, saying please and thank you, avoiding raised voices at dinner parties. Civility, in the common imagination, is a thin veneer of politeness that keeps social interactions running smoothly. It is the lubricant of daily life, nothing more. M. Scott Peck saw something radically different. After decades as a psychiatrist, after writing books that transformed how millions of people understood personal growth and spiritual development, Peck turned his attention to a deeper question. Why do organizations, communities, and entire societies so often fail to function in healthy ways? Why do people who are perfectly polite in social settings become toxic in the workplace? Why do churches, corporations, and governments so frequently descend into dysfunction despite being filled with well-meaning individuals? His answer was both simple and profound. The problem is not that we lack politeness. The problem is that we have lost, or perhaps never truly understood, what genuine civility requires. Peck wrote this book in the early 1990s, drawing on his extensive experience as a psychiatrist, his work with organizations, and his deep engagement with spiritual questions. He had spent years facilitating community-building workshops, watching groups struggle through the painful process of moving from superficial niceness to authentic connection. He had consulted with corporations and religious institutions, observing how power corrupted even well-intentioned leaders. He had seen how narcissism, that relentless focus on self, undermined relationships at every level of human organization. What emerged from these observations was a startling redefinition of civility itself. Civility, Peck argued, is not about manners. It is about consciously motivated organizational behavior…
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Get the complete summary in the appCivility is not politeness. It is consciously motivated organizational behavior that is ethical in submission to a Highe
Narcissism is the primary obstacle to civility. It treats others as objects rather than as persons.
Vocation is found at the intersection of your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger.
Leadership creates temptations: security, spiritual flashiness, and rulership. Resist them.
Conflict is healthy and normal. The problem is our inability to handle it constructively.
Community is built through a process: pseudocommunity, chaos, emptiness, true community.
"A World Waiting to Be Born" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around psychology, self help, spirituality, especially themes like civility is not politeness. it is consciously motivated organizational behavior that is ethical in submission to a highe; narcissism is the primary obstacle to civility. it treats others as objects rather than as persons. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
Motivated to help readers with "Civility is consciously motivated organizational behavior that is ethical in submission to a Higher Power.", M. Scott Peck wrote “A World Waiting to Be Born” to package those ideas for a fast, focused read. In “A World Waiting to Be Born”, M. Scott Peck focuses on "Civility is consciously motivated organizational behavior that is ethical in submission to a Higher Power.". Through “A World Waiting to Be Born”, M. Scott Peck distills the core ideas on psychology int…
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