At the risk of sounding old, when I was a child manners and politeness were much more common than they seem to be these days. I have lost count of the times when I have purchased something from a shop and been grunted at by a sales assistant, or been shoved out of the way by a fellow customer in a supermarket with no apology. Common courtesy is no less important now than it was in the past. Without it, what will the world come to?

Most people will agree that life has a much faster pace than it used to, but is that really an excuse for forgetting basic courtesy? The problems associated with neglecting to be courteous can actually have quite far reaching consequences. At best it can put someone in a bad mood, at worst it could result in an unnecessary conflict with potentially dangerous results.

As children, our parents taught us to say please and thank you. They taught us not to call other children names, and they taught us to apologise when we did something bad. These are very easy lessons to learn and they are fundamental for every day life. They don’t just teach us how to get by with others, they are also the foundations for knowing the difference between right and wrong.

Imagine a world where you walk around with no consideration for others. You see a lady struggling to get on the bus with a stroller, and instead of helping her, you just watch her. She sees you looking but you still don’t get up from your seat. Eventually she manages to fight her way onto the bus she glares at you as she walks by. The woman then starts to question the common decency of those who didn’t help her. Perhaps her irritation was heightened because people were glaring at her in the street while her child was crying, or she had to say “excuse me” ten times because nobody would move out of her way while she was in the supermarket. Those feelings quickly turn into resentment and she decides to forget about manners next time and become as ignorant as those who watched as she battled through her day.

Bad manners breed bad manners even more rapidly than good manners breed good. By lacking common courtesy, it spreads it like some kind of social disease. The world would be a much nicer place if everyone had consideration for others.

Misunderstandings can quickly occur when there is a lack of understanding about politeness. If you squeeze past someone in a crowded pub and cause them to spill their drink, good manners suggest you apologise (often profusely depending on the size of the person you bumped!) and buy them a fresh drink. Walking away without a word is good way to find yourself at the centre of an argument. Likewise, if you have had your drink spilled by someone who crashed into you, it is only right that you accept the apology gracefully instead of ranting about how they have ruined your evening. Not every incident is the end of the world and certainly not worth causing trouble over.

Think of a time when someone has inconvenienced you accidentally and taken the time to apologise. Didn’t it make you feel much less grumpy and annoyed? It’s not so difficult to remember common courtesy. Don’t let it die out due to weak excuses like lack of time. Treating others as you would like to be treated is a good rule to live by, and it begins with good manners and respect.