bvSharp when necessary, mild when possible… With the same passion with which he makes his case, top lawyer Walter Damen (52) comments in ‘Dag Allemaal’ what concerns him and you.
I unexpectedly had to take my daughter to school. In passing I was also asked to pick up two friends from home who had had to leave their bicycles at school due to the heavy rain the day before. No sooner asked, no sooner done. It was striking. The two girls, who got in separately, their first words were: “Thank you, sir, for doing this for us and for letting us ride.” Three thank yous (my daughter included) in just under 7 minutes. I immediately thought: “Suppose everyone were as polite as those girls, that would be something.”
A warm glow took possession of me. After all, politeness is free. More than that, it is a source of positive energy. Take that pedestrian or cyclist who lets you in front of you. When they raise their hands as a thank you, my spirit is strengthened. Or the person at the checkout who lets you go because you only have one item. Or a group of young children where you as a driver slow down and swerve, so that they all wave at you. How often have we been touched by animals crossing the road while a whole column of cars is waiting? If I could summarize all these examples in one word, I would call it ‘politeness joy’.
Blowtorch proposals
I continued to think about a topic of recent weeks: road safety and yet another fatal accident. I do not always agree with the blowtorch proposals subsequently developed by the government. Repression is always the buzzword. Building more prisons for traffic criminals… When, in ten years? Driving license with points: it has been discussed for a hundred years. Zero alcohol etc.
Unfortunately I have to disappoint everyone. An alcohol ban, zero tolerance, prisons, and all that repressive stuff has not stopped anyone from driving drunk or committing a criminal offense. Humans have a potential bad side that occasionally gets the better of some people. Let’s start by acknowledging that.
Perhaps we can achieve something if we experience it again and show respect for our fellow man. After all, it is not polite and respectful to others to drive drunk, to hurt others or to steal things from them. It is also not polite or respectful to ignore judgments such as a driving ban or judgments or to criticize them gratuitously.
Winks
That morning in the car, the girls Manon, Clarisse and Colette graduated with great distinction in their early lives. Always friendly and polite. Not that adult woman in the supermarket at night who tried to outsmart everyone at the checkout. Certainly not when she finally sprinted to the back of the line because an extra cash register opened. She won first place in the new row and that of rudeness with verve. Luckily the polite people could laugh about it. Quietly and subdued, because that’s how polite people do it. The waiters secretly exchanged winks. Seeing so much rudeness sometimes makes polite people feel like better people. And that, that’s allowed.
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2024-03-08 11:00:46
#COLUMN #Walter #Damen #joy #politeness #pedestrian #raises #hand #pass #cheers
