Thursday, February 17, 2005
Do Manners Matter?
Coming back from having coffee the other day and my friend and I both take pains to hold open subsequent doors for a lady coming up the stairs behind us. My friends then casually mentions that we're a dieing breed to which I reply, "huh?".
"Gentlemen", he says, "there are very few around these days".
I wonder if that's really true or not. I think every generation have always thought that the one behind them was the dearth of society and we would be hard pressed to believe any different. However, is there anyone who doesn't think this is true? I think the most obvious example of a lessening politeness is on our roads and highways. I'm not going to prefess my own innocence there even.
So are we all lacking in manners and even respect? In today's society we appear to have cottoned on to the idea of individual rights but I wonder if this hasn't been at the expense of collective civility? I'm not talking about whether the fork is on the correct side of the plate here. I'm talking about general courtesy. I think we should all try and do a better job. If you have a child too, it must start with you as an example.
Coming back from having coffee the other day and my friend and I both take pains to hold open subsequent doors for a lady coming up the stairs behind us. My friends then casually mentions that we're a dieing breed to which I reply, "huh?".
"Gentlemen", he says, "there are very few around these days".
I wonder if that's really true or not. I think every generation have always thought that the one behind them was the dearth of society and we would be hard pressed to believe any different. However, is there anyone who doesn't think this is true? I think the most obvious example of a lessening politeness is on our roads and highways. I'm not going to prefess my own innocence there even.
So are we all lacking in manners and even respect? In today's society we appear to have cottoned on to the idea of individual rights but I wonder if this hasn't been at the expense of collective civility? I'm not talking about whether the fork is on the correct side of the plate here. I'm talking about general courtesy. I think we should all try and do a better job. If you have a child too, it must start with you as an example.
Monday, February 07, 2005
The Santa Pause
So I'm watching the SuperBowl, we have company over in a smallish SuperBowl type festivity when my 7 year old daughter looks up at me from the couch and asks, "Dad, does Santa Claus really exist?". Well, I panic and completely blow it 'cause well, I'm not exactly expecting it. I mean really, talk about timing? So I can't help but break into this rather stunned ear to ear grin and ask if maybe she's heard something at school. Well, she says, some of her friends say it's just the parents that do it all. I can't stand it any longer and I laugh out loud ... I have to excuse myself to go to the kitchen because my laughter is going to betray me bigtime. So I ended up ignoring the answer as the subject got changed somehow but still, it's coming back. I'm gonna blow it again, I can't help it. I just haven't actually prepared myself for this at all. What would you do or what did you do already? It really means that your kid has caught you in a rather extensive lie in the end.
So I'm watching the SuperBowl, we have company over in a smallish SuperBowl type festivity when my 7 year old daughter looks up at me from the couch and asks, "Dad, does Santa Claus really exist?". Well, I panic and completely blow it 'cause well, I'm not exactly expecting it. I mean really, talk about timing? So I can't help but break into this rather stunned ear to ear grin and ask if maybe she's heard something at school. Well, she says, some of her friends say it's just the parents that do it all. I can't stand it any longer and I laugh out loud ... I have to excuse myself to go to the kitchen because my laughter is going to betray me bigtime. So I ended up ignoring the answer as the subject got changed somehow but still, it's coming back. I'm gonna blow it again, I can't help it. I just haven't actually prepared myself for this at all. What would you do or what did you do already? It really means that your kid has caught you in a rather extensive lie in the end.
