Good Behavior and Morality

 

I read the front page of The Star newspaper and had a big shock that Reader's Digest rated our country at the lowest level Again! 6 years ago we ranked 33 out of 35 major cities in the world for being 'Ugly Behaved'. Now we are worst off and dropped to 34 out of 36. I personally don’t agree with the quote saying ‘Malaysians are rude’ because I believe that Malaysians are not rude, they are just not very helpful with strangers.

Malaysians have always been known for their excellent behaviour. But, now things seem to have changed drastically. It seems that not much consideration is given to good values and virtues by people. 

Before we start blaming others for jumping queues, not holding the door, ignoring traffic rules or not cleaning up their mess in a fast food outlet, let’s honestly ask ourselves if we too aren’t guilty of committing any of the above. It’s okay if the answer is “yes” — because, what’s more important is that we are now more aware and are therefore unlikely to repeat such discourteous behaviour.

When being courteous, we are also being respectful to our fellow human beings, regardless of how we feel and whether they deserve it or not. If you are not feeling up to it, consider this: successful people are the ones who have high regard for others, regardless of their social and economic status. They know that when they are polite, somehow the day will go much smoother. They can then focus on what they do best — making a successes of themselves.

Have you heard of the “Waiter’s Test”?  It was said that to see a person’s true personality, one can observe how he interacts with a waiter. Is he rude and demanding, or is he polite and appreciative? The true hero is the one who appreciates and respects others around them.

It’s also about common courtesy because the irony is that courtesy in our society is far from common. We don’t pay much thought to little gestures that matter a lot to others. Like smiling and saying "Thank you".

We need to be considerate by letting the lady behind you at the cashier pay first because she has only one item to check out.or holding the door for the person behind you. When we do simple things like these, we can see how grateful people are for this unexpected show of courtesy and we just hope that they take that lesson with them, and pay it forward.

Charity begin at home, every parent has the responsibility to ensure that a new cycle of courtesy begins in our own home. Expose our children to courtesy by being role models.

In light of Holy Ramadan, let’s make the rest of our days re-instilling courtesy in our lives. Don't let us forget, Courtesy and Morality (Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan) is part of our National Principle.