What Happened To Common Courtesy?

What is courtesy? The dictionary defines the word as “conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.” Sounds simple enough – sort of like one good act deserves another or do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But have you looked around lately? Does it seem to you that this society is not what it used to be? Common courtesy is being thrown out of the window, as no one seems to care about the others around them – only themselves. If it doesn’t affect them, then what does it matter what one does to another, right? But, with this type of boorish behavior, the fabric of our society is being torn to shreds. Take for instance road courtesy. You have had a long day on the road, and you want to change lanes, so you can merge from one freeway to another. But, after turning on your directional, every car just speeds up and gets into your blind spot, so they can beat you to the lane change. Even if you are driving in a lane and leaving enough space between you and the next vehicle, a small car will almost always cut you off, changing into your lane. Then, to add insult to injury, they slam on their brakes because they had to speed up for the lane change and the car in front of them is going slower than they thought. One can almost bet a dollar to a donut that you have all been in this situation – probably several times a day. Another rude sign of behavior is the modern cell phone. I once saw a sight for sore eyes – a teenage girl had a cell phone in each hand, and how she did this I do not know, but she was texting with both hands independently. She missed her calling – she should have been in one of those side-shows. When that phone rings, most people dive for the phone and do not see anything in front of them. What call or text is so important to ignore everything around you, even when you are barreling down the road at 70 mph? It is not only road courtesy that is affected but how people act in stores. Isn’t it wonderful when you are minding your own business, trying to shop, when you come upon three people with carts blocking the aisle just visiting. I don’t care if they visit, just do it some place besides the middle of the aisle! Or, how about when you get in the line with the sign that states “15 items or less” and, of course, there is someone in front of you who has a cart overflowing with stuff. Never mind that you only have three things to purchase, THEY are in a hurry! All this discourtesy has seemed to become so commonplace. It is sad. Maybe the experts are right in stating that mobile phones can affect our brain. Nowadays, it seems like the theory of brain damage may be truer than we thought. Let’s be aware of others out there, folks. And remember, a little “common courtesy” goes a long way!