A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness, bad manners, and lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, this is more significant than a riot happening. If we were go to by these symptoms we are dying.
The way 12+ something’s, call them adolescents… the language they use in public spaces, the way the sprawl around in the lounges of the coffee houses, it is terrible.
These things begin from a very/ young age. Last evening at a restaurant there was this united urban family on a vacation 4 kids, who ran amok around the restaurant, of who decided to wipe her dirty hands on my sari, the mother looks up and tells me, ”bacchii hai” I am expected to be understanding. I can if the mother had bothered to tell the kids, to sit at a place, which she did not. Well the mother herself was wielding the dessert spoon like she was playing dandiya with a rolling pin and ladle, the father was snapping his fingers and barking orders at the waiter and speaking to someone on the phone all at the same time. Talk of multitasking.
Manners are nothing more than the sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If that awareness is there, your manners are good, what fork and knife you use does not matter.
These kids, who are running amok at the restaurant today, recreate the same behaviour at all public spaces, foul language, shouting down the hall way, writing on the walls, damaging public property.
Being polite is a sign of dignity and not subservience. It is about you and not the other person.
The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.”
― Khalil Gibran
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