The Importance of Manners and Respect
“Please” and “thank you” are magic words that can open many doors in life. This is because people like when you talk with respect, ask permission, and show gratitude.
This is a custom that we should never lose, as it’s the basis of civic behavior and manners in our society. Asking for permission, greeting others with a smile, and treating people in a friendly way can make all the difference.
It’s polite and worthwhile to treat the people around us with respect and make someone’s day, afternoon, or night. There is nobility hidden behind each friendly act.
The nobility behind respect
The importance of the magic words and of being friendly has been ingrained in us since we were young. Being grateful and generous helps us to improve our relationships with other people and feel good about ourselves.
Being friendly and respectful makes us noble and strengthens our positive qualities, because the politeness we put forth in our actions will transform us into better and better people. Coloring life with smiles, respect, and generosity is one of the best decisions you can make.
We should make an effort to ingrain values like friendliness and respect into our children. How? By being an example and establishing clear limits that show them not to violate the freedoms of others.
By freedoms, we mean the freedom to express one’s feelings, opinions, and requests. Being respectful begins with having a basic consideration for other people’s feelings. To achieve this, simply ask others how they’d like to be treated.
Maintaining constant respect towards others, even if you don’t like what they tell you, is essential if you want to have satisfying relationships. So never set courtesy aside. Be in the habit of:
- Putting down your phone when other people are talking to you.
- Not interrupting people or conversations.
- Saying please and thank you.
- Asking for forgiveness when you hurt someone or do something bad.
- Saying hello and sending good wishes to people.
- Not eating or drinking in places where you could get something dirty.
- Talking only when it’s your turn.
- Throwing away your trash instead of waiting for others to clean it up.
- Not discriminating against others and avoiding personal judgments.
- Not invading other people’s personal space.
Being tactful and respectful
It’s important that we develop the ability to be respectful towards others. This involves being delicate, using your ego appropriately, accepting compliments, and managing the expression of your feelings, emotions, and opinions.
When social situations are not managed properly, this can lead to rejection, isolation, and dissatisfaction with the way other people act. So you should approach any kind of interaction with others with at least three objectives in mind:
- To achieve the goal of the interaction (like expressing an opinion, for example)
- To foster a positive relationship with the other person
- To maintain a good level of personal satisfaction
There are so many ways to be hostile and rude to other people. For example, talking too much about yourself, insulting them directly or indirectly, using excessive sarcasm, not looking at other the person while they’re talking to you, thinking about what you’re going to say next instead of listening, monopolizing the conversation, interrupting, talking when the other person is talking…
Because there are countless ways to offend someone during an interaction, you should always be thinking about the rules of interaction in each context. Ask yourself if your contributions are respecting the other person and fostering a positive environment.
Respect is the basis of effective social and personal functioning. Practicing good manners and being respectful towards others is essential, because politeness makes all the difference in social interactions.
