The Lost Etiquette

Written By: Maliha Javed.

As I placed my order at the corner table of the small café down the road, I noticed a woman admiringly gazing at a couple where the man pulled out a chair for the lady he accompanied. The woman staring, said to herself “oh how romantic of him!” This comment made me ponder why such a gesture is considered romantic when it ought to be credited to fine upbringing instead.

No doubt the world is altering immensely as every second passes by; our generation is so caught up trying to keep pace with the present, struggling to be accepted by the society no matter what efforts it may consume. The world today has now become so ‘cool’ -as we call it, that we have not only disregarded the old school mentality and teachings but most of us have actually chosen to be ignorant about it without realization.

Good morality, manners and etiquette should be an essential part of each individual’s life. Not only does it signify a remarkable upbringing and excellent character of a person but in some way or the other it grasps the ability to generate a positive vibe affecting others around us. However, because these simple old-school gestures are so infrequent and neglected, majority of the people associate it with romance, feminism or geekiness. The societal image of males being something like The Hulk (excluding the green appearance) has embedded the minds of young men to follow a similar demeanor and as we all know Hulk was no gentleman; the significance of etiquette can be seen diminishing. Whereas for females, because our emotions are so heightened, our feminist instinct are easily attracted to simple gestures that implicate kindness and care from the opposite gender. With this arises the misconception of the fact that most women are naturally caring and kind and thus they are not expected to possess and implement the values of manners and etiquette as we ought to look for these characteristics in men. One should not confuse kindness with fine manners and etiquette as they both are significantly diverse. These reasons and fallacy can be seen as an absurd excuse and it is an unfortunate reality that the world is increasing in terms of dis-courteousness.

Many ask ‘’what good does it bring by being well mannered?’’ well the answer is fairly simple; because, it is a reflection of who we are as a human being. Imagine you are given the opportunity to meet your own self as a stranger, now we all are regrettably judgmental to some extent truthfully, so what would you think of yourself when you meet you?

‘God, am I always that rude to strangers??’

‘Did I really just let the door fall shut on someone’s face?!’

‘I DID NOT just burp in public!!’

Many more thousands of reactions and comments would cross your mind if you were one of those ignorants who gave no importance to manners and etiquette. Do you not think this would reflect your family background, upbringing and the way you treat others? Point being stated; we human beings are blessed with reasoning and are superior to animals and other creatures for a purpose. Therefore, we all ought to make an endeavor to discover and execute the lost etiquette of a well being and make sure our future generations will value and comprehend  the true significance of it.