Monday morning Rant

Manners:  the way a person behaves toward other people
Chivalry: a courteous manner.

Two definitions of seemingly different words yet, both really mean the same thing.  So, why bring this up on a Monday morning?  Because it seems that chivalry and manners have died in our society.  I take that back, chivalry and manners are dying a slow and painful death.  I still see signs of manners from strangers I meet but over all, they are missing.  Granted, I live in a college town and the majority of people I come across are under the age of 40. 

I know, feminism seems to dictate that men don't open doors for women anymore because we can do it ourselves.  Well, I open doors for men and women, especially those who may have difficulty opening the doors for themselves.  I see manners and chivalry as how we treat others, especially in the manner we would like to be treated.  This is not the "get them before they get me" BS.  I truly believe that if we were nicer to each other and recognize the little things, we it might be easier to keep the smile on our faces in times of trouble.

I have seen many posts in blogs and forums stating that it is so much nicer to play with people who don't berate them for their skills or lack there of.  This is how it should be.  I know, soapbox preaching the Golden Rule.  Forgive me, but there is something to this.  How many of us have been cut off in traffic because someone feels their destination is so important they need to weave in and out of traffic and everyone else needs to watch out for them?  How many of you have been in line for a Wii for at least 30 minutes and as the store is opening a jerk walks in from the parking lot and cuts to the beginning of the line?  I have.  Now, how many people confronted that person?  Why do we let this behavior exist? Why is it so much easier not to confront a person and bitch about it behind their back knowing they don't care?  We all know this isn't right, yet we allow it to happen.  Is this what we are teaching our children?  "If you really want something, don't let anyone stand in your way because no one has enough guts to stand up to you."

I watched HH handle this particular person when he cut in our Wii line.  No one else said anything to him but there was a lot of talking behind this "dude".  HH cut him out of the line and Best Buy was able to keep an eye on him after that since they didn't see the initial transgression.  But, HH was called a "Hater" by the Dude.  Where does he get off when it was his lack of manners that caused the problem?  I learned a valuable lesson.  I need to stand up for myself and others when things like this happen.  Maybe if more of us did something about this behavior, more people will be brave enough to stand up for themselves.

Something I'm trying to do on a daily basis is to open doors for more people, look them in the eye, say "Thank you" or "You're welcome" with a smile.  Even if I'm in a bad mood.  Something else HH and I are doing is not take each other for granted.  If he does something like help with dishes, cleaning, or making dinner, I make a point to thank him for his help.  He does the same for me when I make him coffee in the morning before I leave for work.  It's the simple things that make the difference.  Hearing him say thank you makes me want to continue this little habit.

OK, off the soap box.  I'll write more on personal responsibility later.

Have a great Monday!