UNIT 1 GOOD MANNERS
‘Manner’ refers to the way of doing something. ‘Manners’ refers to the way a person
behaves in society. Thus, manners can be good or bad, polite or impolite. For
example, in our Myanmar culture and society, at mealtimes, it is bad manners for a
junior to start eating before a senior does. It is always polite for a junior to listen
with arms folded while he or she is spoken to by a senior such as a parent or
teacher. One important point to bear in mind is that every society and culture has
its list of good and bad manners. Generally speaking, some manners are universal
while some are culture-specific. This means that a manner which is acceptable in
one society may not be tolerated in another. For instance, belching or breaking
wind in company may be quite acceptable in one society but not tolerated in
another.
In one’s home or elsewhere, good manners are vital for a pleasant atmosphere and
for getting on well in life. Thus, showing respect to the other person, offering help,
greeting appropriately, and saying “I’m sorry” when having done a wrong are all
good manners. Now let us see how manners are acquired.
‘Home’ may be considered the ‘birthplace’ of manners. Children hear what the
elders around them say and see what the elders do. As they imitate their elders,
they acquire their elders’ manners. And there are times the father, mother, elder
sister or brother may formally teach the children to say or act politely. If the elders
around them are gentle and polite, they grow up to be gentle and polite. If on the
other hand, the elders around them are crude and rude, they will grow up to be
crude and rude as well.
Next comes the school as an institution to impart good manners. Almost all
children not only learn the school subjects their teachers teach but also imitate the
teachers’ manners and behaviour. In a school where teachers are good role
models, students learn to be polite and respectful. In addition, they are quite likely
to take their classmates and senior students to be role models; and here is the
danger of acquiring ill manners.
As we all know, teenagers and young adults are very often influenced by
celebrities, films and the type of books and articles they read. Hence, they are
quite likely to be misled and thereby acquire ill manners and negative views. There
is still another institution that imparts manners: the work domain. Once a person
gets a job, his work domain becomes an added institution to influence him, for good
or evil.
To put it in a nutshell, the current generation as a whole is the most powerful and
most responsible institution for the imparting of good manners. The modelling of
society is no easy task. All the elders of this generation should conscientiously join
hands and teach their juniors to be law-abiding, upright, honest, self-respecting,
disciplined, punctual, charitable, helpful, merciful, and forgiving. The quality of the
next generation is in the hands of the present generation. As a matter of fact, we
are mutually responsible for building a well-mannered society.
