Courtesy
By Danny Mac
It’s something we all need to have more of, and to be given more of. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a “behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others.” I define it as an overall decency towards other people. Courtesy is important in the mad rush of our day-to-day life, whether we want to admit it, or not.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; “I try to be courteous all the time. I think of others before I do something, and I give to the food pantry.” OK…fair enough. Not to discount your points, but common courtesy does extend much further than that. To be honest, it’s much simpler. It has to do with those “little things,” that seem not to matter at all. Let me give you an example.
A girl is on the bike path with her roller blades. She is accompanied by a friend, and they are probably talking about what happened on Jersey Shore last night. She is also skating right next to her friend, which means that she is in the middle of the path. Along I come on my bike, and at a fairly decent clip. I see the two girls and I decide to slow down; however, the one in the middle of the path doesn’t seem to see me. She continues to stay in the middle of the path, thinking that I will just go around her on the grass. Unfortunately, my bike has tires that don’t work very well off road, so I’m not going anywhere.
I’m about five feet away from her, and she doesn’t appear to want to move. Thankfully, at the last second, she scoots over to her side of the path, and I can get by. I sense the arrogance on her part, and I stifle the urge to yell something nasty to her, such as “Didn’t your mama ever teach you any manners, you little diva?” or “You truly are the embodiment of Snooki, you know that?” Instead of taking it personally, I continue on down the path.
Of course, my mind stews over it for several minutes, and continually through the day at random times. “What the hell is wrong with that girl? Why couldn’t she just get out of the way? It was much easier for her to get over to her side and let me by!” My mind wants to take everything personally, claiming it as yet another personal attack, like she was just waiting for me to ride by, and she knew just how to push my buttons. If left unchecked, my mind will conjure up just about anything to put itself in the role of the victim.
All this aside, why is it so difficult for people to just have at least a shred of courtesy at times; to “let the other guy go first,” at the four-way stop sign? Mulling over my own situation, I believe I have the answer. Perhaps at one time they were taken advantage of in their lives for “being nice,” and as a result of being burned, they won’t give anyone a chance to hurt them, in any way, shape, or form. The instant someone else comes into the picture, they feel the need to protect themselves at all costs, and this can appear as rudeness, arrogance, bitterness, and worse.
Whether it’s the battle on the bike path, at the four-way stop, or in your local supermarket, it really is absurd to think that everyone is the same way. Yes, there are bad apples, but not every apple is a rotten one. A little courtesy goes a long, long way. Just sayin’.