Why Be Polite?

It costs us nothing to be polite.

When did we become so impolite? What happened that, as a society, we accepted rudeness, inconsiderate people, and selfishness to be the norm?

Why be polite? Walking through some stores, I was stunned how many people just cut us off, stopped in the dead center of a busy aisle for no good reason, passed dirty looks when I said excuse me, and let their children just run about without a care. I thought about it, and began to wonder…when did this become ok?

The thing is, that doesn’t matter. I cannot change how other people act, and I can’t make people pay attention to the world around them better. What I can do is be mindful of my own actions, and strive to be polite, even when those around me are less so.

Doesn’t it make you feel good when a random person holds a door open for you? How about when somebody gestures for you to pass them in the aisle? Isn’t it great when people say “excuse me” or “pardon me” if they cross into your personal space somehow?

Politeness is an incredible form of positivity. When people are polite to you, it makes you feel good. Since we are incapable of controlling how other people act, that means that we have the power to BE polite, and give what we want to get.

I know that this can be tough in many situations. But if, instead of turning to annoyance or anger or frustration with people, we are instead polite, we generate positivity, and keep ourselves in a good space. Further, we can avoid an unpleasant situation turning into a truly bad matter.

It feels good to be polite.

Positivity 194 - be polite It really does feel good to be polite to other people. Even if they are not responsive to you, you know that you’ve made the effort, and as such have done your part to instill civility into the world around you. As difficult as this can be in some situations, why add to negativity when you can counter it?

Maybe, if we are more conscious about being polite, people will respond in kind by also being polite. Perhaps, from there, they will think about being polite, and spread it like a virus. Wouldn’t it be nice to see more good news and more positivity in the world around us? Being polite is not a bad place to start.

Finding positivity is not hard, but it does require action.

Knowing that it takes as much effort to be polite as not, we can choose to use this tool to generate more positivity for everyone. When we work harder on being polite to people, even if they do not respond in-kind, ultimately we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we frequently spread that feeling to others around us; as such, we can build more positive feelings in the collective consciousness. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

This is the one hundred ninety-fourth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.