Where have all our manners gone??

Dear Bloggee,

I, Miss Manners, would firstly like to begin with a warm welcome to you, and a thank you for your interest.

It has long been on my mind that the concept of manners is fast losing a place in our modern day society.

I am unsure if it is merely a symptom of a world that is growing too big or simply too big for its boots. However, I do believe that I am not alone in noticing a society that is becoming more and more fragmented with the turn of every calendar page.

Negative? Some might argue, yes. But I would counter that there's nothing wrong with 'telling it like it is' if... and only if... it is followed by action that is positive and proud.

Once upon a time, manners guided our every move. From making an acquaintance to telephoning a friend, travelling on public transport or driving on our roads, from the office to the front door in business, and from dining at a restaurant to 'eating in'.

Manners once made the world we lived in.

They still hold this power, but need people to remember them, and perhaps more importantly, to pass them on to their children and circles of friends, family and beyond.

Earlier this century, the Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas Gandhi left his followers with the words, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Today, I begin and end every day with this simple but powerful sentence, which silently waits on my bathroom mirror where it is pasted with hope, passion and patience.

I'd like to challenge you to adopt these words into your day also.

What courtesy are you missing most in your day-to-day life? Is there a point of etiquette that you consider is too old-fashioned and lost to a modern generation?

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts - but I challenge you to do so with the common courtesy that you would only expect for yourself if our roles were reversed.

It's as simple as that. Manners aren't complicated. Regardless of faith or creed, every person on the planet is surely bonded by the one thread of thought - that they be treated with respect.

But how can one expect respectfrom others, if one doesn't give it to others in the first place??

Together, let's bring back manners!

Yours sincerely

I, Miss Manners...