By Edwin Lee (14 years old)
Being courteous makes one a better person, that is definitely true. As the saying goes, “courtesy is a way of life,” one should be courteous to all that surrounds you, as with each good deed one does, he/she will find that he/she can enjoy a better life.
Being a courteous person does not mean one has to constantly do good merits in order to be courteous. Being courteous is when you can spare a bit of your time to someone, and help them; for example, if you are rich, you can help the poor, if you are poor, you can help those in need, if you are neither rich or poor, you can give support to those who need it. No matter what sort of limitation one has, he/she can always be courteous. Donating to charity does not automatically mean one is courteous, as it is the thoughts of that person that decides whether he is courteous or not. If he is donating merely to earn praises from the public, in the end, this counts simply as self-contentment. However, if he harbors the thoughts of wanting to help others, he/she can, or will be considered a courteous person.
There are many things one can do to be courteous, such as helping an old lady crossing the street, or helping someone with their grocery shopping. Being courteous can often have unexpected results on a person. An example of the event is the following story:
“There was once a selfish man that lived on the outskirts of a village. He rarely went into the village. On rare cases that he did, he only went to the market, bought what he needed, and stomped off. During one of his trips to the market, a beggar approached him and begged for some money. This selfish man, being the selfish person that he was, gave a hard kick to the beggar, and walked off. Little did he realized that this selfish act had been witnessed by the local paper boy, and upon seeing this, ran off to tell everyone in the village. The next day, the selfish man went to the market as he had not finished his shopping the day before. Upon his arrival, every single house shut their doors and windows, and every street vendor chased him away, refusing to sell him anything. This went on for quite some time. One evening, while rocking his rocking chair, he realized that, perhaps, it was his selfish attitude that caused the recent discrimination. So he set a goal for himself that, for an entire day, he would try to be kind. He went to the market the next day and got the usual treatment from the villagers. He saw the beggar whom he kicked the other day, and without a word, gave him RM 5. The beggar’s expression changed from shock to joy in an instant. The selfish man suddenly experienced an unusual but comforting feeling deep in his heart. He liked this feeling, and throughout the whole day, did every single courteous act there was to be. The unusual feeling the selfish man experienced grew into a feel that he cherished like never before. And day by day, the selfish man’s personality changed completely. He no longer was the selfish man everyone knew. He became a courteous man and everyone liked him.”
As one can easily see from the story, a simple act of courtesy changed this man’s attitude completely. So courtesy is really a way of life and in the end, through some unorthodox acts, one’s life can change for the better.
P.S: The above essay won the third place in his school’s essay competition that was held on the spot without prior announcement. I thought I would like to share it with my readers, as it amazed me how young children are often our real life teachers to us adults with their innocent heart and the right understanding about the way life is.
