Good manners: do they have any importance or significance in modern society? Well, quite simply, for most of us that depends on the morals and ethics we hold to and have been brought up under. Good manners are about respect. They are what make a society function smoothly: it is the lubricant for social interaction. We are living in a society after all!
Showing good manners, using please and thank you, smiling and greeting someone etc. are all ways of showing respect for the person you are interacting with and indicating in a subtle way to them that they are important to you and that you are acknowledging their feelings. Everyone wants to feel acknowledged and respected. All social situations would be more pleasant if people would show this kind of consideration for each other.
Good manners are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned, something that are now out of date and unnecessary. It is true that opening doors for each other, waiting our turn to be served, often seems to be a thing of the past. And yet when someone treats us well, with respect and good manners it can make our day.
Good manners provide a moment in time where someone stops and considers our needs, offers us a seat, asks us politely for something with a 'please' and says 'thank you' afterwards. These niceties may only take a second, but they are an important second in our busy world of rushing around, solely thinking of ourselves and what we need to do.
Those moments can make us stop and consider the importance of noticing the other person, the waitress, the sales person. Do we really need to bark out our orders, commands, and demands? How much more pleasant would it be for all concerned if we asked for something politely, with a 'please' at the end of the request. And acknowledged receipt of it with a smile and a 'thank you'. How much does it cost you to say thank you? Or to add the word please onto the end of a request? How nice does it feel when someone actually smiles at you or takes the