What Happened to "Thank You"?
Just a short one . . .
What ever happened to saying, "Thank you"? Ever hold the door for someone or let them turn in front of you in the car and not have them say "Thank you"? My wife recently told me she didn't receive "thank you" notes for birthdays my stepson attended with gifts. Disgraceful.
"Thank you's" are free-- spend them liberally . . . people will remember and appreciate you for it.
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Child Worship and the Self Esteem Movement
Categories: Self Improvement, Simple Living, Personal Philosophy
Tags: Self Improvement Simple Living Personal Philosophy
I notice the same thing too sometimes. Here's two examples of what I have done.
Once I held a door open for a lady at the UPS store as we both were exiting. I was at the door first, in plenty of time to just let it close behind me without being rude, but instead I waited for her as she crossed the store as I knew she was headed for the door too. She just walked right through as if I were her doorman. No acknowledgment. No look. No smile. No nothing. I released the door and started walking right behind her as we were both headed out to our cars in the parking lot. I said out loud: "Well, I can sure tell that you're not from Wyoming." And she said: "And why do you say that?" I replied: "Because in Wyoming, when someone holds the door open for you, we always say thank you." She just walked on in silent embarrassment.
Another time at Barnes and Noble, there was a young woman and her daughter that were approaching the store. I took a few quick steps to get to the door before them and opened it wide for them as they approached. Both walked through without saying a word or even a nod. I entered the vestibule and there they were waiting at the inner doors for me to open them as well. I walked to the inner doors and told them: "Now, let me show you how this is done." And then I just stood there looking at them and then at the inner doors, and then back at them. After a moment the woman figured it out and opened the door for me. As I stepped through the door, I nodded, smiled and gave her a big "thank you" such that the difference between my acknowledgment of her courtesy and her silence in response to my courtesy was perfectly obvious.
I'm a Libertarian. I believe that people are free to remain silent in the face of a courteous act, and I'm free to speak up in the face of an inconsiderate act.
Clair
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So much for do unto others as you would have them do unto you . . . I think you experienced the distorted sense of entitlement present today . . . it is truly disturbing. It is one of the reasons my wife and I like living in the country-- we simply need a retreat away from people sometimes . . .
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