Common Manners and Things We All Should Know
Please. Thank You. Excuse Me. A little wave to someone who does something nice in a typical traffic situation. Any one of these past statements shouldn’t sound foreign. If they do- take a long, hard look in the mirror; take a deep breath and then slap yourself across the face. Wake yourself up and do it quickly. Etiquette will not die.
I simply cannot and will not accept the fact that society is turning towards a place where we are all indecent to one another. There is so much noise to deal with in the day-to-day march of life and having respect for others shouldn’t take a back seat. Now, I hail from the Northeast and we are notoriously known for being…umm let’s use the word cold? However, recently I have been taking note the fact that everyone I have encountered is just plain rude. Brush me by mistake and no “sorry” or “excuse me” is uttered. I hold the door open…and no “thank you”? I mean people, come on here! Obviously I do not perform these nice deeds for the compliments; I’m trying to be a decent individual.
The Situation
I had to take a step back today and here’s why. Let me paint the situation for you and see if it feels familiar. I held the door open for a girl about my age and…nothing. Two seconds later, a store worker crashed into me with a rack and did not mutter one sound. Then, a person walked right in front of me and stood there while I was browsing. I kind of yelled-talked (you know that tone where you’re clearly in sarcastic mode but still publicly maintain composure?) and said- “yes, excuse you”. Man, I was really rubbed the wrong way. My bad mood lingered and I thought…wow is this the world now? Why do I work so hard at teaching my child to be kind, to be thoughtful and to be respectful? Well the answer is: because I want her to live in a world that is good and where people take care of one another.
Please, please, please let’s don’t fall into the trap of ambivalence or even worse nothingness. Our humanity is what binds us and makes us who we are. Be nice to one another and for goodness sake- use your manners.
Smile as you pass by someone, hold the door for an elder- or a struggling mom- or even for just a person, say thank you and please and for the love of all things sacred please be decent. Pay it forward.