Walk the talk on courtesy

TS,Tuesday 24 May 2011 

I refer to “Sadly, courtesy yet to become our way of life” (The Star, May 19) and concur that courtesy is indeed lacking in large sections of our society. 

How do we account for our often touted Asian values when our behaviour leaves much to be desired? 

How can we be proud Malaysians amid such degradation of society and desecration of the environment? 

How did we arrive at such a woeful situation? Could it be the case of bad leadership with shameless politicians leading the way? 

Have loud-mouthed champions done more harm than good to the very people they claim to represent? Are children of rude parents equally so? 

Perhaps we are nonchalant about the importance of courtesy. 

After all, we pay scant regard to life and death issues, such as the need for healthy diet and regular exercise. 

It is no surprise that the ongoing campaign to promote courtesy is hardly noticed, let alone effective. 

Compiling a long list of dos and don’ts would be a good start, but knowledge alone would not necessarily translate into action. 

For centuries, people had access to religious books but there has been no change in human nature whereas science and technology have improved by leaps and bounds. 

Indoctrination may change people only at the superficial level. 

For real change to occur, people must first undergo proper training. 

As such, I propose that full-day workshops on courtesy be conducted nationwide to raise awareness, explore best practices and participants making individual on how they can lead and influence others to be more courteous in the workplace and society. 

The objective of such training is to condition participants to think and walk the talk on courtesy and they continue to practise until it becomes a habit. 

The aim is for such core groups of courteous Malaysians to produce a ripple effect across society and embrace courtesy as our way of life. 

The various trade associations should seek the support of their respective ministries or government agencies to organise such workshops, as courtesy will lead to higher productivity and profitability. 

Meanwhile, we can be courteous by greeting people we meet, offering strangers a smile and show our smiling eyes to our loved ones, 

In order to love and respect others, we must first learn to do so to ourselves. In this way, we would always be courteous whether others are deserving or not, as the onus is on the giver, not the recipient. 

A great courtesy is to continue listening even though we do not agree to what is being said. 

It is genuinely courteous to provide honest feedback, using both emotional and analytical intelligence to communicate effectively. 

It is also courteous to complete a job on schedule and getting work done. Our values are manifested by our outward display of courtesy. 

The reverse also applies as practising courtesy strengthens our character. 

Activists go out of their way to fight for what they believe to be noble causes. 

What we sorely need are courtesy activists who are genuine patriots and their exemplary behaviours would be welcomed by all quarters. 

Perhaps the greatest transformation we can achieve is to become a nation of courteous citizens. 

For this, we should emulate the Japanese, who have recently shown that courtesy is beyond superficial display. 

All of us should identify the roles in promoting courtesy and play our part to improve the quality of life. We owe it to future generation and ourselves. 

YS Chan 

Kuala Lumpur