This post is about something you don’t see every day anymore. You know, the kindness and old school values you only see in movies.
It’s a bit of an unusual post considering most of my posts is about something technology related.
Yesterday just as I were about to order my Saturday morning coffee, on the way to the JHB office for the training that I facilitate every Saturday morning I was greeted by a very friendly and polite gentlemen in them most unexpected manner.
I think I am not alone in saying this, but we are getting way to used to in retail stores for one to be greeted by rude people, half a grunt, or in some cases not at all. This is becoming the norm, especially by younger people, and it’s scary.
Well yesterday morning this friendly gentlemen greeted me with a very friendly “Good morning milady” followed by a slight bow. Now normally this is done in a joking kind off way but this gentlemen was sincere and did not come across as trying to be funny, but rather the opposite. I greeted him back in the same fashion followed by a curtsy.
He did not expect that, and while he was preparing my coffee we talked a bit about how I was the first person in a while to greet him back with the same respect he exchange every morning.
It was refreshing to experience this kindness especially in a retail store, from someone who you can see really enjoys his job.
I sometimes wonder how we lost this respect for the individual, and general kindness towards people as well as making formal introductions?
The great thing was that on this particular Saturday morning my own mood were a little down, feeling exhausted even after a good night’s sleep. But the kindness and energy from a random stranger managed to somehow lift my mood and give me the energy I needed to facilitate a training session, and even made me again aware of how important good old fashioned values are in this world.
What happened to honor, valor, courage, Integrity, trust? Is it because of the way we bring up or kids, did we become so busy and money focused that we forget about ourselves or the people around us? Are we so focused on our own survival we forget about the people next to us?
I think if we all can be a little better every day, just a little and strive to be the best of humanity, the best we can be and then better than what we were yesterday, we will very quickly start to see a positive change in this world we live in.
