Call to Courtesy

What the hell happened to courtesy?

What happened to holding the door, or giving a quick "thank you" for having a door held for you. Excusing yourself for interrupting a conversation or bumping into someone.

And what the hell happened to me that my mood for the proceeding minutes hinges on whether or not courtesy is shown at a given circumstance? Seriously, if I hold a door open for someone and it requires me to stand there for more than three seconds waiting for someone to hurry up, why is it that if they, in fact, hurry up and if they, in fact, thank me for holding the door, I am in a great mood for the next few minutes but if they drag their ass and don't thank me, I'm pissed off for those few minutes? Shouldn't I be above this by now?

Probably. But the fact of the matter is most Americans are not. We demand courtesy but rarely express it. It's part of that collection of double-standards that we live by in this great country that is really starting to burn me up. If you are made happy by someone who thanks you wouldn't you expect that most other people feel the same way to some degree? Wouldn't you want to be a part of their good mood? Or at least, wouldn't you want to avoid being part of their bad mood?

I am now posting a call to courtesy. Everyone, when someone does a small favor for you, thank them. Especially if you didn't ask. It brightens their day. In turn, their good mood might help them show courtesy or do someone else a good deed, thus brightening the days of more people. It's a win-win situation and the only cost? A few seconds of waiting or a brief thank you.

In this world that is simultaneously globalizing world culture and segregating the individual from society, we could all benefit from a little social interaction that doesn't revolve around a complaint or an attempt at getting laid. To say "Stop the maddness" or "Can't we all just get along" would be quoting things that hurt my brain so let's go with "Don't forget your please's and thank you's."

Anderson