Why Etiquette Matters

Grounded as it is in timeless principles, etiquette enables us to face whatever the future may bring with strength of character and integrity. This ever-adaptive code of behavior also allows us to be flexible enough to respect those whose beliefs and traditions differ from our own. Civility and courtesy, the outward expressions of human decency, are the proverbial glue that holds society together – qualities that are more important than ever in todays complex and changing world.

ETIQUETTE IS …………..

FLUID –  NOT A SET OF RIGID RULES. MANNERS CHANGE OVER TIME AND REFLECT THE BEST PRACTICES OF OUR TIMES. ETIQUETTE ISNT A SET OF “PRESCRIPTIONS FOR PROPERNESS” BUT MERELY THE GUIDELINES FOR DOING THINGS IN WAYS THAT MAKE PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE

FOR EVERYONE –  NOT SOMETHING FOR THE WEALTHY OR NEWBORN. ETIQUETTE IS A CODE OF BEHAVIOR FOR ALL PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, EVERY SOCIOECONOMIC GROUP AND OF ALL AGES. GOOD MANNERS ARE A VALUABLE ASSET AND COST NOTHING TO ACQUIRE

CURRENT –  NOT A THING OF THE PAST. THE BEDROCK PRINCIPLES OF ETIQUETTE REMAIN AS SOLID AS THEY EVER WERE. MANNERS CHANGE OVER TIME AND ACROSS CULTURAL BOUNDARIES, BUT THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNIVERSAL AND TIMELESS

UNPRETENTIOUS –  NOT SNOBBISH. A POLITE PERSON DOES NOT TRY TO BE SOMEONE HE IS NOT, NOR DOES HE LOOK DOWN ON OTHERS.