Happy Monday Morning!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and slated time for self-care. Our bodies don’t recognize the difference between good stress and bad stress, so there’s great value in taking time to reset. One of the remarkable aspects of resting is the clarity of thought when moving into a busy week. And busy is something most relate to these days, particularly as the Fall/Winter holidays approach.

The headlines are bursting with countless examples of situations, such as assaults on flight attendants, accosting restaurant workers, and picking fights with every manner of service industry worker. Even attorneys are complaining about clients being rude. As a result, some establishments, usually not accustomed to shutting down, are scheduling routine closures so their employees can have time to recover from the discourteousness of their patrons.

I read an article recently about why people are becoming so rude (TIME, https://time.com/6099906/rude-customers-pandemic/, 2021). The author noted that “We’re going through a time where physiologically, people’s threat system is at a heightened level.” Bernard Golden, psychologist and author, went on to write that the pandemic has caused people to isolate, lose resources and loved ones, and experience reduced support revolving around the threat of COVID; Golden shared that people are fearful. They’re either afraid of getting sick or losing control. For these and similar reasons of displaced anger and lack of filter, impolite behavior has run rampant.

The antidote may be to contain our impulsivity regarding emotional responses and learn to make better choices. Madame de Stael, writer and philosopher in the late 1700s and early 1800s, put it this way:

This concept is an invitation to mindfulness and intentionality. When we take time to slow down, pause, breathe, lower our voices, and think through the truth about who we are and how we choose to respond, the results are far more appealing and promote harmony. And it’s not that difficult when we make a point of monitoring our responses by paying attention to the emotional content behind our thoughts and words.

Let’s take a look at a couple of passages in Scripture that support the concept:

“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t become snobbish but take a real interest in ordinary people. Don’t become set in your own opinions.”  Romans 12:16 (Phillips)

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.” 1 Corinthians 13:40-5 (AMP)

When we choose to be polite, we become empowered, as well as loving. Here we’re not fearful or thinking of ways to get revenge. Instead, we’re looking at life from the lens of inclusion and the basic human need for respect and acceptance. Here are some additional thoughts on politeness:

“Politeness is a sign of dignity, not subservience.” Theodore Roosevelt

“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you. Not because they are nice, but because you are.” Author Unknown

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” Emily Post

Consider engaging our powers of politeness and genuine regard for others this week. We may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly we can diffuse a problematic situation. We might also be the one positive and polite individual that someone else encounters that day!

Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda