Manners Maketh Man...*

...or so I was repeatedly taught throughout my childhood. In today's cruel  world it would seem people have to fight the urge to be unnecessarily rude towards their fellow man. There was a time when neither a pram-wielding individual would have to struggle down a flight of stairs unaided nor an elderly member of society onto a train with luggage. Today you're lucky if a shop door isn't dropped on your face by the person entering directly in front of you.

We shouldn't offer help because it inflates our sense of self-worth by acting out a "good deed for the day" but because it is the right thing to do. If we all helped one another out a little at a time, a little more often, the world would become a much nicer place.

So remember, when you're next ambling along a narrow pavement, step aside and let the person heading towards you pass comfortably, or, if you see someone struggling with shopping, offer to lend them a hand. Even saying "please" and "thank you" these days is treated as though overrated, which it is most certainly not.

But sure, I'm a realist, being polite isn't going to bring about world peace any time soon but it might just add a little lift to someone's day.

* BlogFact: Quotation is motto of Winchester College, Oxford, founded by William of Wykeham.