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.