Most everybody has heard of the three Rs when it comes to education –- reading, ‘riting and  ‘rithmetic –- but it is time for our society to think about the three Cs.

OK, so I just made that up, but there are three Cs that seem to get somewhat lost in our busy, high-tech world: Compassion. Civility. Compromise.

Although it should not need a definition, compassion is simply the ability to relate to and have an emotional understanding of what another human being is going through.

Although this may sound like a no-brainer it is amazing how many people today are blind to the struggles that others go through.

This leads perfectly to the next “C,” civility, which basically means follow The Golden Rule and “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” This seems to be somewhat of a lost art today for far too many people.

But what exactly is the cause of it?

That is hard to say but certainly social media and impersonal interactions likely add to the problem. It is easy to be rude and hateful when you’re just typing characters on a computer screen rather than looking an individual in the eye and hearing those words come out of their mouth.

Finally, we must get back to a time when we were able to compromise.

In many ways we have become a nation of spoiled brats that, if we don’t get our way, will simply take our ball and go home or refuse to  acknowledge that someone else’s ideas are valid or that meeting in the middle would serve the greatest good. 

Certainly you do not have to look much farther than our state and national government leaders, as well as the TV news coverage, to see that everything is partisan and there is no middle ground.

Winchester is better than most communities but has room to improve. The same goes for Kentucky.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones — or point out societal character flaws –- so I will be the first to admit there are times I need to do better in each of these areas.

So, how do we correct this?

Well, as the old saying goes, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. (No, I’m not condoning that we actually start serving up Dumbo for dinner, but it is an interesting express that describes an effective approach when tackling a challenge that can be perceived as overwhelming.)

We can do better –- honestly, we must do better –- to strengthen our communities and lift our great nation to even greater prosperity for all people regardless of age, race, gender, religious believes, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background.

No matter what letters you use, that spells s-u-c-c-e-s-s.

Mike Caldwell is publisher of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living Magazine. He can be reached at 859-759-3123 or mike.caldwell@winchestersun.com.