Reply #27: Yes [View All]

Manners are something that everyone either can have or won't have at all. We cannot choose where or to whom we are born; we often have little say in our economic situation; however, we choose whether or not to be polite. I have noticed a certain courtly elegance in people who are polite, especially to strangers--you see this, for example, in waiting rooms in hospitals. Those folks may not be wearing expensive clothes or sport diamonds, but they have an inherent richness because of their demeanor.

The internet is a different story, however. Perhaps it is because we strangers don't ever see each other face to face. Or perhaps on the internet you meet folks who do not believe manners are something to be cherished. And yet....and yet....the words you type and what you say do have an impact. And they do reflect back on you.