by Tarqness
People say that we live in far more
sophisticated times than we did 50 yeas ago. I suppose in
some ways, that is quite true. Of course, our technology
is far superior to what it was then. Medical science has
improved in many ways as well. Socially, we've also come
a long way. But there is one area in which our society in
particular has plummeted in the past 50 years: manners.
What ever happened to manners?
I've noticed that, since I was a kid (which was in the
1970s, but still counts as "back in my day"),
the way people in general treat each other has gotten to
be downright shameful. When I was younger, my parents
taught me that all other people are to be treated with
respect. I was taught to say "Please" when
requesting something and "Thank You" when given
something. That's just the way it was.
We were taught that it's never nice to point out another
person's faults. That's "dirty pool", as my
mother was, and is still, fond of saying. If we couldn't
say anything nice about someone, we didn't say it at all.
Especially not to their faces.
We were taught that the world owed us nothing and to be
grateful for everything we have because most aren't as
fortunate.
We were taught that everyone deserves a fair shake, no
matter how they look, what they believe in, or whom they
love.
We were taught to fight for the underdog. Never to sit
and be indifferent to someone getting kicked around. If
we did, that made us just as bad as the bullies.
We were taught that you get back what you give to the
world. That kindness is contagious and so is rudeness.
We were taught to always try to see the good in the
world. Unfortunately, as time goes by, that gets harder
to do.
Maybe someday soon good manners will be all the rage
again. It won't happen too soon for my taste.
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