Civility

News.com.au Your Say Blog:

"'Good manners begin at home. But civility and manners must also be institutionalised in the other institutions of our nation,” she said, before name-dropping former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s “zero-tolerance approach to what might seem the small things” as a leading example."

I had a lesson in manners and politesse when I went to Vanuatu. I knew I was going somewhere ultre polite and different from the moment I was walking along the corridor to the plane. There were two older ni-vanuatu men ahead of me. One had a limp and a stick. Two young ni-vanuatu boys came along side and ahead of me and normally, in Australia, we would over take the slower ones, no disrespect intended. The two boys fell in behind the two older men and just walked quietly behind them. There was no divine right to be faster than they were because they were slow. It was about respect. For my whole trip to Vanuatu I learned about these lessons in respect and consideration. They are people who live manners and consideration. It was very refreshing and healing to be polite and considerate. It was very nice to be considered . It was great to be with thoughtful people who made genuine, pleasant conversations with you. It reminded me of how we used to be. Since being back I don't enjoy listening to young people abuse each other and their elders. I don't like it at all when people just walk off in the middle of a conversation or hurry on from eating because they have something important to do. The push , shove, loud has got to go and it's so nice when you see children and parents who respect each other. Children are what they are taught and we are accepting children talking over the top of adults because they have the right to be heard. Their turn will come. If they have a turn now and a turn later they will never actually listen and learn. A lot of people working with young people are becoming worn out and fed up with them because it is all about them. Some of it is about them, but it is about co operation. If adults are constantly overridden, then they have no chance to guide and teach. When you see that actually operating in a society , you can see how much richer and more stable that society is. Everyone gets a turn and everyone has to wait.