Editor:
I have been very troubled for a while about the lack of manners in our present world.
It seems to me that if we continue to let things go the way they are now, courtesy will soon be a thing of the past and that will send us back to the Stone Age.
We can no longer expect to receive thank-you cards and letters if we send a gift. My children excuse themselves with lack of time – but how long does it really take to write a few lines on a card?
The grandchildren could use the opportunity to practise their writing skills, which are becoming less expressive as we all depend so much on email, Facebook and Twitter. These modern vehicles of communication are partly to blame for the brevity and lack of grace so prevalent in our written messages.
I have also heard many complain about discourteous behaviour from employers when they are seeking to hire new employees. Applications are no longer acknowledged – a brief word would mean so much to a person sending out applications every day.
Even after an interview, it is common for employers to simply ignore the interviewee with no phone call to explain why he or she has not been hired.
These are just a couple of examples of the boorishness of modernity. When will we realize that polite communication is the glue of humanity?
We are creating a society in which we are careless in thought and intention and demonstrate, in our bad manners, a lack of compassion for each other.
I think robots could do better.
Eileen Spencer, Surrey
