Common Courtesy

Today is National Common Courtesy Day. On one hand, I welcome the day, because I think it's important to show respect for others. On the other hand, it's rather sad to have a day set aside for courtesy, as if it takes many people extra effort to be that way. As a society in general, I do think we get less courteous all the time, and it may stem from self-centeredness.

Road rage or impatient drivers are a good example of this. It's getting more and more common to pull out in front of someone, blow horns the second a light turns green, cut someone off to get ahead, or use cell phones and pay no attention to anyone else. These actions show selfishness and not thinking of others. We never know what another person may be dealing with. If we did, we'd likely treat them differently.

Only a few people open doors for someone anymore, allow another person to go first, take their hats off inside, let someone finish what they're saying before commenting, and all the other little things that used to be second nature. The actions themselves aren't as important as the attitudes they demonstrate. On this, National Common Courtesy Day, let's focus on never losing our respect for others or patience with them. What will you do for National Common Courtesy Day?

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