Courtesy

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” - Henry Clay

I've said that I would begin to post again after the end of my promotion examinations, which is just a week back so here I am. Well, it's been a week becoz' I still got lotsa stuff to catch up on and I get tired more easily than ever. When I get back from school, there's a 60% chance that I'll just shower and just drop dead on my bed for a lengthy nap. Sigh, the end of my promos doesn't necessarily mean the end of the stress I get from education for this year since there's still some stuff to cover, especially the hellish subject of Project Work and the troublesome Mother Tongue A-Level examination which is coming soon too. I still gotta attend school to deal with mainly these two subjects which will be assessed very soon and also to cover more topics on the my other subjects to get a head-start for next year's syllabus. Yup, though we rest a bit easier now, we can't afford to let our guard down. 

Anyways, I want to write something I've been noticing for the past couple of years, which is about the courtesy of people to others, especially strangers. Y'know, I've seen many including several of my close friends who did not even say a word of thanks to the person serving them, be it the waiter at a restaurant, the cashier who sold us the movie tickets, or even the one who pressed the 'open' button in the lift so that we can get onto it. Ya, you may think this kinda stuff are microscopic, insignificant, and redundant... But I sure don't think so. I think it makes a difference, however small it is. Sometimes just a simple word of thanks accompanied by a smile may just make all the difference in the world for a particular person. You never know. It could be that the person is having a real bad day and he/she may be frustrated, annoyed, not feeling well and all that crap... then there comes this other dude who he/she is serving, saying a sincere word of thanks with a smile (works best if it's a pretty girl with a great eye-smile, you know what I mean?) and it may just brighten the person's day. Sure, it's a small gesture and it's not even compulsory, but it can mean a lot, especially if it's sincere.

But it has become a trend where pleasantries and courtesy get ousted outta people's priority. We have become so self-centered. To put it in a very technical way, we desire things or services that satisfy us and nothing else. If it doesn't satisfy us, be it the food, the product, the service etc, we don't really give a hoot about pleasantries and courtesy to the person who's serving us. Sounds familiar? It seems as though our selfishness have come until a point whereby it's always us-first and everything else last. Maybe everything else does not even hold any priority in our minds.

However, I suppose there's still hope. Though I continue to remain sceptical to some extent, I still believe that there are still people who still continue to behave in a more civilised behaviour. Just about a week back when I went to play basketball on my own, I met two Malay kids playing basketball as well. Though small-sized, they seemed to have a passion for the sport. Well, I was just shooting some hoops to cool down then my ball always have to hit the rim and fly somewhere far from me. Both these two kids stopped their dribbling and shooting, threw their own basketballs away just to chase after mine and passed it back to me. Frankly I was slightly amused. "Wow, these two kids sure are helpful." I did the exact same thing by helping them retrieve their basketballs as well, and for once I felt that maybe our generation and the next generation may not be so bad after all. It may be a simple gesture, but it's something I don't see often anymore. Not with most of the other basketball players around my age(strangers I mean). 

Courtesy can be something so subtle yet defining at the same time. One can surely tell how grown and nurtured a person can be just by listening to how he/she say "Thank You" and "You're Welcome". So remember, don't let our hectic lifestyle take away the values that define us as a civilisation. It is something that is bestowed to everyone. Life is not so short that you'll have to skip all the "Thank You"s and "You're Welcome"s. 

Alright then, so I shall end this by a... umm... Thank You.