Courtesy

We must all possess them to make the world a better place

Be taught from young, be educated or learn from your own grace

From friends and family close to you To strangers in the street

The feeling of being so genuinely nice Is easy to repeat

Please and thank you is free you know, You do not have to pay

And if you say it or it’s said to you It brightens up the day

Also respect your elders, Being kind to them where you can

Give up your seat and open doors It could be your own gran

It makes you a better person, and it seems to keep you young

So it’s good for everybody, and your praises will be sung

So please, please, try and remember, through morning, noon and night

It’s free; it’s easy and feels so good, It’s just called being polite!

   Courtesy throughout the generations has deteriorated among everyone. Possible causes for the
decline of courtesy in society are lower standards of morals, the courtesy we receive ourselves, and
the want for materialistic things. With the demeanor of morals, self-confidence, and values being
little to none; courtesy among ourselves and strangers has diminished and in some cases, is non-
existent.
             In a whole, society has turned into greedy and self-absorbed people. The standard morals of
now differ highly from generations ago. People were more giving, helpful, and sympathetic before
my time. The incessant want for materialistic things has turned our generation into "green-eyed"
monsters. As a result of our selfishness, courtesy among people in general is now hateful. We
respond to people in need in a way that is egotistic. We feel that we will never have to be in a
position of need a dime for that extra emergency phone call, or we will never have a tire blow-out on
the highway. We, our society, think too highly of ourselves causing us to not be empathetic.
             In the same way that moral values affect our kindness and courtesy, the response we
receive from other people affect our reactions. For instance, an elderly man is standing in a grocery
line being checked out and does not having quite the right change. If a willing person behind him
were to spare some change, he would be more likely to return the favor towards another person
short on hand. Similarly, when driving through heavy traffic; if someone were to cut someone off,
they would be more prone to drive offensively.
             In addition to our moral values and the way respond to others, we tend to have not realized
the importance of human life. We blow off a kind thank you and not even think of the impact that a
compliment would have on someone. A kind attitude or a courteous gesture shown would give
people a reason to be courteous to others.