Human decency and manners seem to be gone these days. Manners in all sorts of social situations tend to be gone and out the window. I wish I knew why. I’ve found that when I have common manners, people look at me like I am nuts. I know I am not the one with the problem. The problem is that we have lost human decency. Where are our manners and why aren’t people using them? We need to bring manners back because the society is a mess.

Manners should be a basic part of life. The sad thing is they are not. We live in a strange time where if you hold a door for somebody they will snap at you and get strangely mad over it. People will treat you like you tried to trip them. I think if somebody is in a certain proximity, then you should hold the door for the person because it is polite. It shouldn’t be that hard to say thank you if somebody holds a door for you, and it shouldn’t be that hard to have normal manners.

Another form of human decency that has gone out the window is using "sorry," "please," "thank you," and "excuse me." People have told me that I am overly polite, but I was taught to say "sorry" if I bump into somebody, "excuse me" if I need to get through a crowd, and so on. The strange thing is that people are like wild beasts that shove each other and glare at others. It’s a strange thing to sit and observe when you watch how people interact. I’ve noticed people outside the Boston area tend to have better manners towards each other, not a fact, just an opinion of mine from observing those around me.

As I’ve observed others I’ve realized that people also treat cashiers and waiters very poorly around here. Listen, you’re not a cool person for throwing change, not handing money over the right way, and treating them like a servant with your trash, or putting your all ready eaten items on the belt. Be a decent human being, don’t talk on your phone, say "please" and "thank you," plus take your own garbage and go. If you don’t, I will politely tell you there is a trash somewhere else, because I was raised to treat everybody with respect, but not to be walked over. You can take care of your trash or ask me nicely if you’re really in a pinch and if it’s something that isn’t too gross for anybody to touch but you.

Another strange thing is covering mouths, bathroom manners, and just being clean. I don’t get why people will cough literally on you. It should be common sense to cover your mouth and not cough on people, but it sadly isn’t. Please cover your mouth, wash your hands, and clean up after yourself while using a bathroom. It’s human decency, and it should be obvious considering we aren’t farm animals. I think it’s good manners to keep something clean for somebody else. You also don’t want people to look at in a bad way, so stay hygienic because it’s an important part of manners.

Manners are important and part of human decency. I don’t get why people can’t get it right. Part of manners and human decency is that if a car lets you go, you give the wave of gratitude; if you are asked to do something, give an answer, and if your kid is yelling at a stranger or acting up, be a parent and teach them how to act. I don’t get why I’ve run into so many people with this issue, especially in the area I live, because I’ve gone to a few places, and people are far more decent in less fast paced areas from what I’ve seen. If you aren’t treated well and are surrounded by people that lack human decency and manners, just be polite and act with decency yourself. You can even re-direct people in a nice way if it’s something truly terrible, so just be a decent human being yourself. I know we all make mistakes, but it shouldn’t be that hard to be a decent human being. "Please" and "thank you" go a long way.