World Peace - Is it Just Good Manners?

These thoughts were sparked by watching Alexander McCall Smith, an English gentleman of a certain age speaking about the characters in his novels on an interview last night and the importance of good manners......

There is a kind of irony for me to write about good manners given I was an adolescent of the seventies. In the era of make-love-not-war, flowers-in-my-hair (actually down one side of my flowing cheesecloth and calico dress), I realize that I had discarded good manners with the cavalier and indiscriminate disrespect of youth. It was a time when debutante balls were out of fashion, thank you notes were passé and the social boundaries were being stretched to the limit as we emerged like cicadas from the repressive social constraints of our parents era.

Looking back now I see that some of my behavior was could only be described as callous disregard towards the social conventions of the time. Many of those conventions were important to people I cared about.

Now I have a broader perspective on the value of some of our social conventions particularly around courtesy. Put very simply I realize that the ability to communicate in the language of the other makes a difference. Acknowledgment, gratitude, kind words or actions are powerful influences of communication. They can enhance relationships and generate good well as well as good feelings.

And face it, in a world where it is so easy to offend the sensibilities of some (self included) it make much more sense to show good manners. Make me wonder how the world would really be if we took the advise of Robert Fulghum (another favorite author) who told us amongst other things - that we pick up after ourselves, share, be kind to each other and hold hands when we cross the road - the world would be a better place. Maybe world peace does begin with these simple kindnesses.

The picture by the way is not me in the 70's (I wish) but my gorgeous granddaughter Lilu for whom I am committed to contributing towards a more loving, sustainable, socially just and harmonious world.