Please and thank you. Two of the first phrases you learn, or should have learned, growing up. These phrases first got engraved into my head when I realized they were the only way my kindergarten teacher would hand us our cartons of milk at lunch time.
Manners aren't just limited to words that we express but extend to how we carry ourselves and treat others. Smiling, holding the door, saying excuse me, yes ma'am, yes sir, paying attention; all of these things seem to have disappeared in today's world.
I began realizing this "art" of manners had been lost after I smiled at an older gentleman passing me on the street. He stopped and thanked me for the simple gesture as I had been the only one to smile back at him in days. As much as I wished I could have been shocked by his statement, I was not.
It seems as though manners have become so extinct now that smiling at one another while crossing paths seems like an ancient practice. Smiling at someone could change their whole day. It could also cause them to smile at others which creates a chain reaction of kindness that this world so desperately needs.
Although manners were first introduced to us all as children, they should not have to continue being taught as we grow up. Manners should be automatic responses and politeness should be constant. It is extremely disheartening to see so many young adults and children growing up without exercising these simple practices.
At times, it seems today's world thinks it is too difficult to hold the door for another person and that it is entirely too exhausting to say please and thank you when necessary. Not only are those things seemingly hard enough, but it is almost impossible for certain people to put their phones down when others are talking to them. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have a conversation with the top of someone's head while they're checking Instagram for the 100th time in an hour.
Simple greetings and goodbyes, well wishes and gratitude don't belong solely on paper cards that we buy in a store. You can buy these words because they are important and their importance should not be limited to a specific event in time. Giving other people your full attention when they're talking rather than checking your phone SHOULD be basic knowledge. Being polite should never be a choice that you have to make but rather a way of life.
Remember that old saying "Treat others how you want to be treated?" You should want to be treated with respect and politeness because that is what everyone deserves. Everyone needs to take a trip back to their kindergarten lunch time routines, put down their phones, and please, pay attention. Thank you.
