When he was only fifteen years old, George Washington wrote a list of the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation. Many of the rules hold up just fine, today:
2d When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered.
For the most part, the rules hold fast through the ages. However, some of them are a little more dated than others:
26th In Pulling off your Hat to Persons of Distinction, as Noblemen, Justices, Churchmen &c make a Reverence, bowing more or less according to the Custom of the Better Bred, and Quality of the Person. Amongst your equals expect not always that they Should begin with you first, but to Pull off the Hat when there is no need is Affectation, in the Manner of Saluting and resaluting in words keep to the most usual Custom.
According to a short description on the Library of Congress' page for John T. Phillips II book, George Washington's Rules of Civility:
The 110 "Rules of Civility" were more than 200 years old when Washington was taught them as a young teenager in the 1740s. An Italian in the 16th century first drafted them into an advice book for his nephew. The "Rules of Civility" were a foundation for the early colonists and gave the basis for conversations that resulted in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The rules were pretty dated when Washington wrote them.
The rules are a good standard, honorable way to live your life. But, to take a measurement of the above and beyond, turn your eyeballs to Good Guy Greg (GGG).
Knowyourmeme.com writes that the Good Guy Greg meme is rumored to have first appeared on 4chan. GGG showed up on Canvas shortly afterwards, on April 26, 2011. A couple of people have posted pics supposedly showing "the real" GGG. No one is buying it. GGG remains unknown, as a man, but life changing as a meme.
If you live a somewhat moral and respectable life, Good Guy Greg is the next level. Sure, some of the GGGs are video game and reddit.com references that we don't get, but for the most part GGG will lead you down the trail of kindness and respect. Sound corny? It is. But corn is in everything these days. Eat it up.
Good Guy Greg is the masses speaking, affirming to each other which actions and what features we appreciate in each other. Good Guy Greg is the best of our culture.
I know I sound like an old man, but a well written GGG can leave me thinking and self-evauating for hours; a poorly written one can make me shake my fist in anger, "How dare you defile the honor of this important document!?"
For an eyeball full of GGGs you can check out quickmeme.com
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