There is the famous phrase that courtesy costs nothing but buys everything. Courtesy can be defined as a collection of polite gestures and good manners. Courtesy stems from kindness and affection. A person who demonstrates courtesy is said to be a courteous person. Courtesy governs our day-to-day interactions with others. A courteous person is liked while a person who is not courteous abhorred. The current world is engulfed with a lot of dysphoria instead of Euphoria. Thus, it is why courtesy plays a dominant role in our day-to-day interactions with other individuals. It is one of the most excellent virtue man can ever have. According to Francis Bacon, a human being without courtesy is an animal in a human form. Such statements serve to show the importance attached to courtesy. Courtesy is a two-way gesture. It takes the form of giving and take. This is to mean courteous gestures will be replicated to you, only if you also advance courteous gestures to other individuals. To expand on what entails courteous behavior, in this essay I will use case scenarios and possible instances where courtesy is applicable.
Courtesy as it relates to communication
In communication, courtesy is held to high standards. Communication in its entirety is bound by the maxim of courtesy. It is a sign of respect and correspondence to the other persons. Many are the time's individuals have been reported to lose on job opportunities because they could not demonstrate the courteous behavior. It is equally surprising that despite courtesy being one of the highest virtues, few people practice it. Take for instance in the workplace; some individuals go on using a colleagues property without asking for it. This escalates to levels where individuals are unable to track their belongings. In the average workplace individuals report losing something, which they are sure, they had left in a specific place. In the end, this creates distrust among the workers. There is also lack of peace and harmony in such situations. One would then wonder whether it would hurt if people politely borrowed. All the confusion is created by merely not observing a simple gesture. Again courtesy comes into place through how we talk with other people be in the workplace or at home
For instance, it is a rule of thumb that when communicating with older people respect should be upheld. One is also required to maintain courtesy when talking with people who occupy higher ranks than one does in an organization. Primarily this is done to ensure the special relationship between the two is kept. Older folks may find it unpleasant being addressed by their names directly by their younger counterparts. In the end, this ruins the relationship that would have grown between the two. Again, at the workplace, senior people may get offended if they are not addressed courteously. This may negatively affect the communication between the two. In the end, because of not maintaining courteous behavior, aggrieved parties arise.
Courtesy of business
In the business world, a lot of communication takes place. Hence, it is clear that courtesy is needed to sustain a healthy business relationship. In fact, in recent years many businesses have begun to realize the vital role that courtesy plays in the business world. The lack of courtesy may result in a reduction in the total sales. With the continued growth of the internet, a business that fails to demonstrate courtesy to its customers can be painted in bad light. Nowadays all it takes is for an aggrieved customer to tweet it to the netizens. What follows is negative publicity on the part of the business. The enterprise is painted in such a negative very that few individuals would be willing to engage with the enterprise. In recent years, a couple of businesses have been forced to issue a public apology to the public for not demonstrating the courteous behavior. Such is the peripheral role courtesy plays in the business world.
Currently, most enterprises have a customer relations department that is intended to ensure the relationship between the customer and the business is kept at a high level. During holidays, various business entities give their customers gifts. This is usually intended to thank them for their cooperation. However, this is done with the primary aim of showing the customer that the business owner values the relationship that exists between the two. Courtesy is immeasurable and intangible. Therefore, it cannot be traded. The gifts usually serve as a token of appreciation. This is done with the aim that it will stir continued operations. Apparently, as we have, shown courtesy is essential for the continued operation of business entities. Businesses are based on interactions and as such, one ought to be courteous if he/she is to reap the rewards from the business domain.
Courtesy and the Education system
Most children are educated on courtesy in both their schools and homes. In fact, in preschool, the main thing is usually to train and facilitate the development of courteous behavior among the children. They are required to request for anything that is not theirs politely. Taking anything that is not theirs without prior borrowing is punished. This is usually done to ensure the children learn to respect other people's property. It is clear that taking other people's property without their consent is stealing. Clearly, by being courteous one is unlikely to engage in stealing. Again still in school children are taught on how to interact with others and still maintain courtesy.
In the morning, once they get to school they are required to great their friends and the teacher. This is usually done with the sole aim of bringing up individuals who have care and respect for those around them. Most of the children who do not show courteous behavior end up having miserable lives. They engage in all sorts of crime due to lack of respect for others people's property and lives. It is for this reason that we usually have prisons to correct the behavior of the incarcerated individuals. This shows if harmony is to exist, courtesy has to prevail.
Courtesy at homes
In most homes, parents teach their children on courteous behavior when they are young. As earlier shown, they are shown the importance of respecting other people and their property. They are trained on how to relate with their siblings while maintaining respect for one another. They are trained on asking for permission before they go out with their friends. This is usually done with the aim of enabling them to be able to interact with other people later in life easily. A child who has been taught courtesy while young while exhibiting courtesy throughout his life. This is perhaps the aim of many parents.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although many people use courtesy and respect interchangeably thee two are distinct. Respect is usually a consequence of courtesy. Respect develops by because of courteous behavior. With the human life being characterized by lots of interactions, it is little wonder why courtesy plays a significant role in our lives.
