In a culture that often rewards the loudest voice and the sharpest jab, choosing to walk away without the desire to harm, punish, or embarrass is not weakness — it’s radical strength.

Project Civility teaches us that disagreement is inevitable. But what follows disagreement is a choice. Do we escalate? Do we shame? Or do we model a different kind of courage — the kind that refuses to let tribalism dictate our behavior?

Walking away isn’t a sign of defeat — it’s a deliberate choice to protect what matters most. Rather than allowing disagreement to harden into hostility, this act draws a boundary that honors both self-respect and mutual humanity.

To step back is to affirm that dignity — ours and theirs — is worth more than the fleeting satisfaction of being right. It’s a quiet act of resi

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