Teaching plans for teaching children include teaching ‘Respect’. Respect (in this case, 1. esteem, admiration, 2.proper courtesy, 3. a formal expression of esteem or deference , 4. to refrain from intruding upon) and good manners have taken a significant hit over the last couple of decades. I know this is so because I went to a party recently and the two young children there were so polite and well-mannered I was agasp! They were 7 and 10. It had been quite some time since I had encountered such well-mannered children. Sort of sad actually, for all of us.

The onset of the technological age has ushered in an acute lack of manners by adults as well as children. The fact that an appliance (cell phone, iPad, etc.) captures the attention of someone for an extended period of time when that someone is in the company of live humans is appalling to me. Far too many are abandoned in the middle of a conversation when a cell rings in. Too many are glaring over the table at their errant companions who are more interested in their gadgets. I have this problem with TV. If my show is on, please don’t talk to me.

Our humanity is a precious thing. Respect for each other is a recognition of our divinity. We diminish ourselves personally when we ignore the living presence of our fellow human(s) as they stand or sit with us for ANY reason. Teaching respect to children, something seriously lacking these days, helps to insure their success in the social game, the workplace and life in general. A good way to do this is to show THEM respect. Model it, then exact opportunities for them to reciprocate and show it to others. Praise them privately and publicly when you see them do it. I tell you, I had to seek out the parents of those little polite darlings and when the kids were in earshot, I praised them and their parents for their fine manners. Made me feel good too.

Which leads to the other point in this. Feeling good. Appliances are dead or rather, they were never alive. Our person to person interactions are to be sought out and appreciated because interaction with life feeds good feelings. We are good feeling magnets for each other. We have the power to heal ourselves with the energy we create person to person. Feeling good enhances our health, wealth and happiness. Deferring to other people is a bow to their humanity, a way of kissing ourselves. They are made to feel good, you feel good and sanity is restored to the moment.

Won’t you join me in promoting good manners and respect? What have you observed that bears correcting?