Lack of Courtesy?

The mundane first, we played ball hockey yesterday despite the dampness. Our shoes will take a few days to dry out though mine were soaked through, and I didn't run through any puddles. I am happy to say though that my team won two of the three games we played.

 

On to the meat of the post, the lack of common courtesy in our modern society. 

Yesterday was a bad day for remembering things. I didn't remember that we had choir practice in the morning (and set a new record for a non-sick sleep in 8:48) so  I didn't get to do the work I had planned for the morning. At 12:30 approximately I realized I wouldn't get any work in the afternoon either because we were playing ball hockey at 2:00. Then at ball hockey Lydia was nice enough to remind me that I was going to a movie with Shaneese, Abby, and Jeromie to celebrate Shaneese's birthday at 5:30. I did manage to squeeze in the time for a shower between the time I got back (5:00) and the time we left. While at the theatre though, I held the door open for everyone, just as I was about to let it close two people walked across the street obviously heading for the entrance I was in. So being the nice person I am I held the door open for them, but instead of entering through the door I was holding open for them, they went around and entered through the other door! I might understand if they were a little closer to that door, but they stopped right in front of the door I was holding open, turned left, walked around the open door, and then entered.

 

Were these people so unaccustomed to people holding the door open that they didn't understand what I was doing? Did they genuinely not see that the door was open? Or were they trying to avoid me? I've toyed before with the idea that such things as automatic doors have removed common courtesies (Like holding the door open) from our society. We don't remember to hold the door for people because we don't need that reflex. We don't say thank you to the cashier, they're just doing their job. We don't let people go ahead of us in a line; we have problems of our own. 

 

Our world seems to have become a cold place. I remember in MacLean’s magazine they had a nation wide courtesy test, they checked who would give them service with a smile for a small purchase (such as a pen, or gum), who would stop to help someone who fell down and dropped a large stack of papers all over the place, and who would hold the door open for them when they followed close behind. If I remember correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong dad) the highest scoring city only had 70%. The next runners up having 60%, and it goes downhill from there. One of the most common excuses for not stopping to help someone though war basically "I'm too busy." 

I think we are failing to teach things which make life easier to live in, things like courtesy and chivalry. Sooner or later we are going to have to deal with the effects, but for now I will be a hero of courtesy. Being kind, and promoting my view of chivalry on the world.