Say Please and Thank You, Ungrateful Monsters
No matter your mood, no matter where you are, no matter who you are talking to, you should always say these words.
It happens wherever I go. I’ll be queuing at the grocery store, driving down the driveway at a fast food cafe, or squeezing through a bar, and someone yells out their demands, gets service, and then leaves, silently, acting like they just got a big inconvenience. There is no “please” when they ask for something. No “thank you” when they receive it. I’m sick and tired of this.
I was raised to always say please and thank you, and I’m sure most people have learned this lesson at some point in their lives — either from their parents, or a shitty picture book, or Mr. Damn Rogers. But for some reason, people forget about it as they get older. Somehow, teaching them the most basic human jokes fails them, and they begin to behave like rude bastards.
Of course, sometimes you are in a rush or distracted and you don’t have the time or mental capacity to say these words, but most of the time you do . You know what you are doing. It takes less than two seconds to say both “please” and “thank you,” and it literally costs you nothing. All you need is air to expel these simple subtleties from your mouth, so just say it! Is always.
And by “always” I mean EVERY TIME that something is connected with another person who helps you.
- It doesn’t matter if you’ve had the worst day of your life.
- It doesn’t matter if what they do is work for which they are paid.
- It doesn’t matter if what they do is easy.
- It doesn’t matter if they are rude while they are helping you.
People don’t need to deserve to have manners. You just have to have them. You are not afraid to be kind because you have opened your wallet. You are not afraid to treat people with respect because things are not going the way you want them to. You are not higher than anyone.
People like you more when you are nice only because , that they are respected, but there is also much more important things. A kind and gracious person can turn someone’s day around. And it can lead to even more kindness and positive experiences for someone else. It spreads like the only virus you want to infect. When you say please and thank you, it really comes down to empathy . These simple words are the main form of expression for this important and powerful concept.
So please, I implore you to say these words as often as possible. There is nothing cool, hard, or special about not saying them. Show compassion, be kind just because and try to break the chain that people are shitty to each other. It costs you nothing and may matter more than you think. Thank you.