Proper Etiquette - How Should I Act?

Proper Etiquette - what is it? There are many different feelings toward this, especially in our day and age. If we look back in time there are very distinct outlines of what was expected of people in society and how to act around people. Looking in almost any library there is sure to be some type of book on such etiquette, how long the ladies skirts were supposed to be, how the men were supposed to speak to the ladies, how people were supposed to act around those “superior” to themselves. There were many things that our ancestors demolished in their passing to bring us what they called freedom. These rules were closer to the Victorian Era and under monarchies and such rules; things that we don’t really see in our society today. Throughout the decades this was slowly demolished, especially here in America. Starting with small things - skirts above the ankles, hair bobs, moving to the “Grease” look and Rock and Roll. Then the 1960s hit and drugs and hippies rampant our structure of hierarchy pretty much fell apart, and adding black and women’s rights to the list things turned around for us. There was no longer someone who was automatically “better” than anyone else; we were all truly equals at this point. This is where our modern day etiquette comes from mainly I believe. Etiquette, in my eyes is merely the expression of respect we have for one another. We must be confident and have respect in ourselves first of all, which can be seen by the way one talks or dresses. Generally those who take the time to learn and be educated care for themselves a little more than those who don’t, and by dressing modestly and cleanly they are showing respect to their own body as well to others as some might not want to see everything that God gave them. From this we normally don’t harass or yell at those who may be more experienced or assume authority over us, even if they don’t necessarily have that right, there is still a point to which we must respect their wishes. We should show respect to those who in today’s world would be thought of as “beneath” us or most likely in a lower social standing (financially). They may not hold our job over our head but they have to work a lot harder for a living and deserve to be shown respect also. Proper etiquette is more than just saying the right things and placing your napkin in your lap, it’s caring for people. Showing respect to those around us shows them that we care, or at least respect them and that they can trust us, which in the long run can create very important relationships.

Ricky Dean writes about various topics. For more info about proper etiquette, visit Dinosauric.com, a content sharing site.