what it means to be civilized

The fascinating thing about being civilized is that the burden of civility rest in the shoulders of the civil ... Not the savage.

The savage cannot be relied upon. 

If they are able the grasp the concepts of patience, compassion, critical thought and delayed gratitude, these are not their priorities. 

The civilized must hold themselves responsible for their own actions and their responses to actions of the uncivilized. It is a balancing act in a world of willing and negligent savages. 

We fight to maintain dignity, decency, and at times to simply survive.