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Is There Any Reason Not to Be Polite?
It costs us nothing to be polite.
When did we, as a society, become so impolite? What happened that, in the overall collective consciousness, we accepted rudeness, inconsiderate people, and selfishness to be the norm?
Walking through some stores recently, I was stunned by how many people just cut us off, stopped in the dead center of a busy aisle for no good reason, passed dirty looks when I said excuse me, and let their children just run about without a care. I thought about it, and began to wonder; When did this become okay?
The thing is, when all is said and done, that doesn’t matter. I can’t change how other people act, and I can’t make people pay attention to the world around them better. What I can do is be mindful of my own actions, and strive to be polite, even when those around me are less so.
Doesn’t it make you feel good when a random person holds a door open for you? How about when somebody gestures for you to pass them in the aisle? Isn’t it great when people say “excuse me” or “pardon me” if they cross into your personal space somehow?
When people are polite to you, it makes you feel good. Since we are incapable of controlling how other people act, that means that we have the power to be polite and give what we desire to get.
