Uncommon Courtesy
A funny story has it that a police officer was investigating an accident.
Referring to a woman lying unconscious in the street, he asked, "Who was driving
the car?"
"I was," a man replied.
"How did you happen to hit her?" the officer inquired.
"I didn't!" he said. "As I approached the intersection, I saw that she was
trying to cross the street. So I stopped for her and she fainted."
I'm not saying that courtesy is rare, but in some cities it's said that there
are only two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead. Maybe it's that
"common courtesy" is not as common as it might be.
A wonderful story comes from 19th Century England. According to the account,
Queen Victoria was once at a diplomatic reception in London. The guest of honor
was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal until, at the end,
finger bowls were served. The guest of honor had never seen a British finger
bowl, and no one had thought to brief him beforehand about its purpose. So he
took the bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its contents
down!
For an instant there was breathless silence among the British privileged guests,
and then they began to whisper to one another. All that stopped, however, when
Queen Victoria silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and
drank its contents! A moment later 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen
simultaneously drank the contents of their own fingerbowls.
It was the queen's uncommon courtesy guarded her guest from certain
embarrassment.
"Knowledge, ability, experience are of little avail in reaching high success if
courtesy be lacking," says George D. Powers. "Courtesy is the one passport that
will be accepted without question in every land, in every office, in every home,
in every heart in the world. For nothing commends itself so well as kindness;
and courtesy is kindness."
Call it what you may, courtesy is the one passport you can't be without if you
intend to get where you want to go. Don't leave home without it.
© 2001 Steve Goodier
Thanks to Life Support System LSSPublishing@worldnet.att.net