Future of Manners

Week 8 Learning Summary, April 20 – April 26, 2014 – Dr. Paul Rux

As we conclude our course, please let your humble servant make some observations.  One, thank you for your courtesy toward each other and this writer throughout our course.  As Confucius argues, manners are part of our ethical arsenal.  Persons with manners are “rounded.”  If two round objects collide they glance off each other.  Persons without manners are “square.”  When two square objects collide, they do not glance off each other.  They confront.  In Florida earlier this year, a man shot a man in a Tampa movie house because one asked the other to stop using his cell phone during the movie, as required by theater rules.  The cell phone user threw a box of popcorn in the face of the other, who in a fit of rage pulled out a gun and shot the cell phone user / popcorn- thrower dead.  The shooter first complained to theater management to enforce its rules; it did not.  Lethal escalation followed.  Here two “square” persons collided.  The outcome was fatal.  Simple manners could have forestalled this outburst.  FYI:  The shooter was a retired police officer who likely had a “stomach full” of rude behaviors (lack of offender manners) during his career, which put him on “edge.” Yes, manners count; vulgarity is toxic.  If this country does not soon wake up to this, fatal collisions will escalate.  As we conclude, remember, your manners are a powerful antidote to violence.  Share them with those who come into contact with you.  It will make a difference between life and death.  Take care.  Good luck.  If you need a professional reference, please contact me.  I can back winners!