Whatever happened to manners???? Where did please and thank you and you’re welcome go? And what happened to a simple acknowledgement of something received? Why is it so not necessary to sincerely express them? I know I’m giving away my age with these questions but… whatever happened to these
simple kindnesses? While my questions may sound like sour grapes and while ‘yesteryear’ may become idealized in one’s mind… still, it was a bit more gracious, slightly more gentle and definitely more mannerly.
I remember when I was a child, being corrected when I was impolite or didn’t show the proper respect for others. And perhaps that’s the underscoring value – respect. No one seems to respect things like… other people’s property, others’ rights, etc. It’s not that you always had to agree with others but how you showed your disagreement was equally important. Respect has to be earned, granted, but it is not acceptable to show disrespect. And ‘gentle’ and ‘kind’ were not behaviors to be ignored.
Manners is as much a statement of how you expect to be treated as well as it is a statement of how you believe others should be treated. If you are rude, interrupting, dismissing, etc. then you invite others to treat you in the same fashion. Manners really is a quid pro quo. Manners are also a matter of what you’re taught as a child and what you observe in others’ behavior. Both play a significant role as to whether or not you also become a mannerly person. It really is the simple things of saying please and thank you, of not interrupting someone who is speaking, and of equally kind, ‘respectful’ acts.
I’m not certain why we’ve lost some of the touch of kindness that seemed to no longer to be visible. And while it is important to know these reasons so we can begin to counteract their influence, it really is more personal – what about you? Are you polite? Do you use those words and actions? Are you mannerly? And I’m not talking about the ‘random acts of kindness’. Random does not translate into lifestyle.
