Age Old Sign of Respect

From the beginning of time, throughout every culture, various traditions of respect have been influential. Though the rules of etiquette may vary from society to society, they remain important in interacting with our fellow human beings The implementation of good manners can open many doors in our lives. When we choose to be polite to others we are recruiting more players to join our team, and in a dog eat dog world, it is best to have as many people on your team as possible. Thomas Sowell once said,  “Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies to get a dollar back.”  When we are polite to people we set the foundation for potentially beneficial relationships for the future. 

When trying to conduct ourselves in a professional situation, manners are essential. Etiquette is also vital in a classroom setting. a student needs to be polite to the teacher and respects them and their classroom. By showing good manners the teacher will return the respect, noticing that the student is serious about their education and learning experience it will be enjoyable for the both of them.  Then, this same teacher, who deems you a respectable student, can later write you a letter of recommendation for college applications, returning their “dollar”. 

 Everyday we interact with people, some new, some the same old faces from everyday. It is important to remember that every person, no matter physical appearance or social stand, is initially deserving of respect. It is then, after their first reaction, that you may judge them upon how you are received. True, not everyone who you are initially polite to will return the same courteously, but is important to conduct yourself properly all the time and give everyone a chance at a courteous encounter.  This does not mean that we should be up tight and stolid. The word “etiquette” automatically paints a picture of a snooty, emotionless person with properly folded hands, a napkin draped across their lap, sipping tea with their pink out, but this is not always necessary. It is possible to show manners to others while still remaining comfortable and having fun. I show manners to my parents, siblings, friends, mentors and I am still able to laugh and enjoy myself with them. The need for manners is like the need for respect, it’s a requirement it in order to interact and get along with one another.

Technology: The New Best Friend

Our world is always changing an advancing in the field of science and technology.  These days it seems hard to escape the presence of technology.  Many of us depend on it to get us through the day, to do our jobs, to get around, and to find certain things. Thomas Jefferson once said, “Where a new invention promises to be useful, it ought to be tried.” We should take the time to question the cons of our technological advances. While technology has brought us such a long way, could it in fact be a hindrance us in other ways?  What happens when these same technologies we depend on so much fails?  Could most forms of technology just be ways of moving us further away from each other? Could technology cause a form of isolation?  We are faced with these questions every day, whether we realize it or not.

            Look at your average modern teenager, someone growing up and dealing with computers and gadgets on a day-to-day basis.  They probably have a cell phone with a built in phone book, games, and calendar.  In addition to the land-line set up by their parents, they have a desktop computer or a laptop that they probably use not only do homework and research but also have on line accounts with Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace to stay in touch with family and friends. What happens when all these things go off at once, that’s where the real madness begins.  I have had the problem of having my computer crash the day before a huge essay is due. My heart almost collapsed and I began to cry. The stress was almost unbearable and I felt as though the world was going to end.  I end up having to go to the library and retype the entire essay.

            We not only rely on technology to run our everyday lives but we trust it to keep our personal information. You’re sitting at your computer researching for a paper and a “pop-up” comes up on you screen: “Take this survey and get a free prize”. You answer the few questions and at the end it asks you for your personal information. You enter it. It’s just your first and last name, your date of birth, your email, and your address. It’s no big deal. You send this information out into the unknown. Many people do this unaware of the dangers that could come of it. Someone with this simple information could perform a number of crimes under your name with out your awareness.

            With addition of cell phones and computers and the forms of interaction that comes with them we become isolated from our loved ones. Some separate themselves from interaction with real people to spend time in cyber land. And, even though we believe that we are truly talking to the person at the other end, in reality we are staring at a florescent screen that shows no emotion.

            As I type this essay and post it on the Internet, I wonder how I would be able to complete this without the use of the technology. I appreciate the ease at which I am doing this, by simply pressing keys and my ideas are expressed. No doubt, the internet, computers, cell phones, and other technological advances of the past few decades have been amazing, and over a hundred years ago would have been perceived as magic, but its time to realize how dependent we truly are.  Sometimes we need to detach our hands from the keyboards and step out of our caves to appreciate the people we have in our immediate lives.