KARACHI:
In the words of Clarence Thomas, an American Supreme Court Judge, “Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.” Sadly, our younger generations have not been taught basic etiquettes and manners such as saying “thank you” or “please”, knocking before entering a room, or not using cellphone on the dinner table. These practices are now considered as old fashioned, outdated, pretentious and boring. Parents need to take it upon themselves to inculcate in their children the art of civility.
The most annoying habit I find in young adults these days is that they are not conscious of their surroundings and fail to pay attention to those around them. They have become so addicted to their smartphones and tablets that they do not interact with the person they are with. Even when couples go out to dinner, both are constantly scrolling through their phones instead of having a decent conversation. This used to be considered as rude and offensive, but now people don’t seem to care. That is the problem; we don’t care about each other anymore. Consider an old lady struggling to grab her shopping bags. Does anyone help? Your car gets stalled at the signal lights. Does the young man behind wait sympathetically or come to assist?
But should we only put the blame on young people? We must acknowledge that they are adrift because they haven’t been brought up like previous generations have. The blame is partly on parents and teachers who no longer focus on the importance of inculcating social courtesy. Children’s behaviour, for most of their teenage years, remains unchecked. As a result, they are heavily influenced by social media. We need to teach our children that it does not cost a dime to be courteous. As the proverbial saying goes, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
Salma Tahir
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2021.
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