Sometimes, I think people forget how valuable manners can be. Even more often, I don't think people realize how much I value manners. Seriously. I think if someone asked me to punch someone in the face and said "please," I'd be much more inclined to do it.
Seriously, how much extra effort does it take to tack on a "thank you" or a "please" at the end of your sentences? It can even be mindless! It doesn't require sincerity (although that is a bonus). And it's just a nice thing to do for everyone. Using your manners makes the other person feel good and makes you not look like a huge, grouchy jerk.
I know we're used to getting what we want in this day and age, but that doesn't make it acceptable to be ungrateful or impolite. For example, I tend to be the one who drives myself and my friends around when we go shopping. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy driving and spending time with my friends. However, at the end of our shopping excursion when we had gotten back, they left my car, ran inside to get out of the cold weather, and didn't utter a single "thank you" my way. I had driven quite a bit, too, so I had spent half of the gas I had just bought. That wouldn't matter to me at all if they had just thanked me for driving.
I enjoy doing nice things for people - it's part of who I am. And as long as the people I'm helping say two simple words to me, I won't expect to be payed back or receive anything in return. I drove my friends thirty minutes to a record store that we spent maybe another thirty minutes in, before turning around and driving back home. That's a lot of gas for such a short trip, but they wanted to go, and I wanted to hang out with them. When we got in the car and began the thirty-minute drive back home, they thanked me for driving them out there. That was all I wanted from them. I wasn't even going to ask them for a couple dollars to cover the gas I had spent (even though my friend gave me some anyway).
Manners really make that much of a difference to me. Whatever insane guy dates me better be well-mannered, or I'm giving him a lesson or two on what words should be coming out of his mouth. He won't have to hold the door, get my coat, or even pay for dinner if I hear him saying "please" and "thank you." It's three syllables that you add to your daily vocabulary - it doesn't take much energy, you already know how to say the words, you already know what they mean, you already know how to use them. Just. Use. Them.
"Please" and "thank you" go a lot farther than you think.
