Once while shopping in a mall I came across a heated argument between a mother and her teenage daughter. I was helping my mother choose cosmetics when suddenly I heard the girl shout at her mother in a loud voice. I could see that the girl’s mother was embarrassed. I also noticed bystanders were staring at them. I felt very sorry for the mother. This incident motivated me to write this.
Rabindranath Tagore once said, “manners, not brain, count at crucial moments”. A person might have good looks or fair skin, but that person becomes attractive and beautiful only if he or she has pleasing manners and does good deeds. Though good manners start at home, there is much more need for them to be practiced in schools and public places.
Recently, I saw a teenager who was so busy talking to his friend that he collided into a lady, which resulted in her slipping and falling. The most surprising thing was that the absent-minded teen didn’t even turn to look at the lady, much less apologise. I believe that schools should be places that nurture virtues and good values because a student can’t navigate life without a moral compass. Not only is it important to learn these manners but also important to carry them out everyday, like respecting elders, never hurting anyone’s feelings, consoling a person, or sharing another person’s grief…
Our actions and manners are important, and people around us notice. I earnestly request young people reading this article to put good manners in to practice: “Good values lead to good manners, good manners give us good friends; good friends mean a good environment and a good environment leads to a happy and peaceful life”.
By Manisha R. Manikuttan
