By Nadhirah Azizul Rahman
Nadhirah Azizul Rahman (Nad) is by far our youngest contributor for Muse and Views. She is a 17-year-old student from Sek Men Sains Bagan Datoh (SABDA) who has a penchant for sharing her thoughts through writing.
First and foremost, what is courtesy? The Oxford English dictionary defines courtesy as “showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behaviour towards others”. To simplify it, it’s a way of being polite towards others.
There are plenty of examples of courtesy. A basic example of displaying courtesy is saying ‘please’ when asking for something and ‘thank you’ after receiving something. It is a simple gesture, yet some people tend to overlook this.
It is not compulsory to be courteous, but it is recommended so that we do not make ourselves look like a mean person. We must be courteous so that others will feel more comfortable when talking to us as we show great manners through our body language. For example, when we are meeting someone for the first time, we should shake hands to show that we are a welcoming person. Unless that it is frowned upon in their culture, we should learn how they greet people.
Take the Japanese for example. They prefer minimal physical contact, so they tend to bow when greeting to show respect. Apart from body language, we should show courtesy through our tone of voice. We should use a friendly tone and speak as politely as possible so we don’t offend the person we are talking to. By being courteous, we leave a good impression on the person and earn their respect. But is courtesy being practised by younger generations nowadays? The younger generation these days tend to use crude words or a harsh tone when talking to others, which could leave a bad impression on them. Whether they mean it or not, others will feel uncomfortable when talking with them and will tend to avoid any contact with them.
To avoid that kind of situation, we should encourage the future generation to practise courtesy to not only earn respect from others, but also make others feel comfortable to interact with them.
This is extremely important for when they start working as most jobs require teamwork and communication. Showing your understanding of the job etiquette during job interviews will help you get the job you are looking for. And you should continue to show that understanding at work so people will be informed of how you can commit to the job you are entrusted with.
With that out of the way, how should we teach the younger generation to practise courtesy? A good starter would be to teach them the manners of communication. For instance, they should let the other person finish their sentences before they say something. Unless if the person is a big chatterbox, then they should learn how to cut them off in a polite way so they don’t offend the other person.
Slightly raising your hand to indicate that you want to say something is a good example. Another method is to practise courtesy with guests for example making eye contact and smiling when talking to them.
Parents should act as a role model towards their children as most children tend to copy everything they see their parents do. They should also remind their children that they should courteous to everyone. Even if the other person is from a different race and those who work careers that are less respected such as janitors and garbage collectors.
Would courtesy make society better? Personally, I think that society would be a lot better if everyone knows how to be courteous towards each other. People would not be so mean to each other and would respect each other, no matter what race they are from and what their statuses are. If we take a look at today’s society, some people are more likely to disrespect people from a lower status.
Take the homeless beggars for example. We are taught to help them however we can by donating any spare change or leftover food. But we can also see that most people tend to look at them in disgust and walk away. What about those who are from a different race or religion? They too are being treated unfairly. For instance in America, people born with black skin are treated differently. They are considered ‘outcasts’ by the people even though they were born and raised there. Muslims living in America also face the same problem.
Many a time they are labelled ‘terrorists’ because of the tragic ‘9/11 incident’ which was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Wahhabi Islamists terrorist group Al – Qaeda against the United States. Because of something they had no control of, they both were being treated harshly. Maybe if everyone could treat each other with respect and kindness, we could live in a more peaceful environment. Courtesy requires little to no effort, but it could mean a lot to the other person.
A quiet person, Nad is observant and loves to express her thoughts through writing and drawing. Silence has so much to say. A peace enthusiast.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of TVS.
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