So, as my family and I were out for the evening, I was taken back by a young girl who stopped to hold the door for us as she was exiting and were entering a building. Then it dawned on me; why on earth would that stand out? Have we have truly forgotten what good manners look like? It seems that most people are so self absorbed, have their face stuck in their phone, oblivious to others around them, simply don’t care, are grossly narcissistic, or – ALL OF THE ABOVE.
I remember a day, when I was younger, that it was normal to say please and thank you. It was normal to yield to someone else. It was normal to give up your seat for a woman or an elder. It was normal to hold doors for those coming after us. In fact, if you did not do these things, you were seriously looked down upon. Now we live in a world where if someone is polite and holds a door, we find it odd and certainly the anomaly.
Let’s get back to being the difference makers. There should not be an expiration on good manners. The good people of the U.K. say “Long Live the Queen”, because they know at some point it will end and they are trying to prolong the reign. We should not be saying “Long Live Good Manners”, as if it too has an expiration.