Chivalry Isn't Dead, It's Just on Life Support

It never fails to amaze me or bring an instant smile to my face when a perfect stranger steps up and performs an act of chivalry. This can include anything in the good manners department from holding a door open for an elderly or disabled person to almost any other humanitarian act under the sun. Unfortunately these random acts of open mannerly displays are few and far between, but it's nothing that can't be restored within our modern society.

Chivalry isn't dead; it's just on life support. I have pondered this point many times, especially when I come across someone that lacks in the manners department. I wonder if they ever learned them in the first place or are they just out of practice from a lack of using them. Now I will be the first to admit that I have interrupted someone during mid-sentence due to being impatient or excited about whatever it was that I was trying to say, but generally I try and hold my mouth shut until it is my turn to speak.

I grew up in a home where good manners and courteous behavior were a requirement or else, and these principals were taught early on, used often and repeated on a regular basis as not to forget them no matter what. I feel that any child that is taught this type of behavior early on will successfully use manners without feeling like a major geek if it is instilled and they automatically become a part of their daily life. Manners and respect for certain people or things go hand in hand and will eventually lead to social situations and first impressions that people will have on us when we interact with others.

Treating people with a certain amount of respect leads to more positive situations, but society as a whole has to take this into consideration, not just a small handful of people who wishes chivalry would regain the strength to awaken out of the deep sleep it's been in for too many years. The loss of manners and courteousness in modern civilization has lead to a breakdown of communication between the generations. How our younger people in society view manners and respect depends heavily on the older adults ahead of them and their own use of manners in everyday situations.

When I speak of good manners, I am referring to civilized behavior that allows people to communicate without attacking their value system in which they believe. We are an opinionated world with varied ideas of what good manners are these days. Please and thank you doesn't begin to touch base on the deeper side of respect and what is viewed as good manners. Assaulting the belief system of others is not only bad manners it is over-stepping boundaries that should not have been trespassed on to begin with.

High noise levels violate our ears everyday from pimped-up vehicles with loud exhausts to blaring systems that would jar the strongest of dental work right out of your mouth. The consideration factor is lost here and may never return as nobody has attempted to think about it until permanent hearing loss reminds us that it might just be a problem after all. I am not implying in any way that this applies to all cultures or societies, but noise brought on purposely is annoying and invades another person's personal bubble when it is uninvited.

Good manners never go out of style unless you think it is alright to speak ill of loved ones or gossip about others negatively. A lack of respect for others and bad manners in general only stand to put society in a place that will easily be broken down hypothetically into the form of prehistoric times when man once grunted out his needs, pulled his mate by the hair, and smacked her around a bit when she talked back. Pulling the plug on bad manners is a tough decision as it will force us to take positive action geared towards a mutual respect for all forms of life and act kindly towards loved ones, mutual acquaintances and strangers.

The rules on good manners or etiquette vary widely from culture to culture with the exception of social interaction in general and the principals we use as human beings. Compassion, respect and common decency is something that all humans need and deserve. Traditions and cultural differences can play a big part when it comes to manners, as can the society in which we have grown up in and thrived in from child to adult. But please and thank you seem to never go out of style no matter what country or planet you may be from.

A Few Facts on Manners and Chivalry

Manners and etiquette include everything from informal introductions to how we eat our food.

Gentlemen do still exist in modern society. They are the ones that stop and change a flat tire of a distressed woman, and they do not hesitate to hold open a door for someone entering a room.

Chivalry in the modern form means to be a gentleman, especially in how a man treats a woman. It also involves personal honor and how others view you as a person.

Religious chivalry involved protecting the innocent and serving God.

Chivalry and women are looked at from the aspect of men and their ability to show gentleness and graciousness to all women.

According to the Management-Issues study, rudeness and bad manners impacts the working environment, and researchers have confirmed that colleagues or managers who are rude and undermining can have an unhealthy negative impact on employee performance and productivity. This in turn can lead to a high turnover within a company that ignores the issue of low morale and subsequent bad manners. Superficial etiquette along with snobbishness is not only lacking in virtue, but reeks of bad manners.

Fine china, crystal and good silver have nothing to do with good manners, only the way the meal is served, presented and shared with others does.

One example of our changing world on manners consists of a mere handshake. In another century it was meant to show that men were not carrying a sword or dagger in their hands. Now it can be used in the form of anything from a simple introduction to two people sealing a deal.