I heard a slap land on my cheeks. Hehe, I heard the slap before I felt it. My eyes clouded. As a child and teenager, I was always quick to tears. I cried when I was shouted on or scolded. I cried if someone lied against me. I cried if someone hurt me. I was still grasping how to manage my emotions.
I turned my teary eye to look at him, he said, "why didn't you greet that man? "
I stared back at him in shock, I greeted him was my fierce reply.
The man turned to look at the exchange and commented that I greeted him.
My father mumbled an apology and said I should open up my mouth to speak. My mom told him to stop being too reactive.
I sulked the rest of the day.
Let's just say after that day, I made sure I greeted people out loud.
My dad's method of training may not have been exactly award worthy, it mostly instilled fear but I think it contributed largely to how I turned out.
Years later, I was greeting even people I met inside a public transport. I remember one particular incident, the young lady I greeted was so amazed. She kept thanking me for being courteous. She said it was a hard thing to see respectful teenagers around these days. She paid my transport fare.
When I was close to my destination and wanted to alight, the tricycle rider refused to let me go. He asked that I gave him my number, that he can see I am a good girl and he wants to be my friend. I've always had a short fuse for nonsense so, I told him to get his hands off me and go for look for his age mate. I will never understand men who make sexual advances towards underage kids.
I mean, which part of your brain do you use to think?
I grew up knowing that people should be respected. It was okay to voice my own opinions but I necessarily don't need to shut up another to be heard or to ridicule another person's to make mine look appealing. In our house, everyone was accorded respect.
I still feel ridiculous to call some persons by their first name. I know that in most cases, that's not a mark of respect, but I still feel uncomfortable and it has nothing to do with inferiority complex.
Greetings may be a form of showing respect to some people and not to others. Personally, I can count several times, greetings opened doors for me.
I'd always say, it doesn't hurt to greet.
And when it comes to greetings, I usually presume it to be a form of well wishes.
So, I'll never understand when someone says, morning, afternoon or evening.
Or when I greet some one- Good morning and the person replies, morning.
Morning, how? Who you? Where from you?
"A wonderful morning to you"
"A pleasant morning to you" .
With a smile.
It can go a long way to brighten someone's day and you know what? It costs nothing, really.
I was speaking with a friend the other day and he said where he is, people don't greet each other. Hehe, you just see people and walk pass.
He felt awkward at the beginning. He felt bad that he was greeting people and they weren't answering him. So, now, he's adjusted and he passes by people without greeting and at times, it feels a little weird but he's learnt to live with it.
We're getting into weirder times. Where it wouldn't really matter if we walk pass each other every day, without some firm of acknowledgement, no nod, no smile and definitely no greetings. Handshake? No way.
As the climes are subtly changing where everybody is living their lives and giving no chills about the opinions of the other person, where every one make their own rules and follow them, respect is going to become even more far fetched. And as much as it would diminish, I strongly believe that they would still be persons who would hold on to it as a worthy virtue.
Respect is a much endangered virtue. May it not go into extinction in your life.
A very pleasant evening to you.