I'm wondering when courtesy died.
Actually, I think Courtesy was killed. By Self-Absorbsion. Figures she's have a hyphenated name. I think when the mantra,
"I just want to do what makes me happy" replaced "In God We Trust" as the national motto, Courtesy was pretty much sunk.
I wonder if Courtesy was killed in a fit of rage, or of she was the victim of a pre-meditated murder.
I think it happened sometime after WWII, although perhaps it was a bit more recent. Evidence of a WWII dating is the fact that all subsequent U.S. military missions have been met with an unbelievable amount of whining on behalf of the "we just want everyone to be happy" crowd. To hear them tell it, performing a sworn duty with honor can not possibly result in anything good.
The murder could have happened when prayer and the Bible was removed from schools, thereby effectively getting rid of seemingly outdated notions like, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Phillipians 2:4).
It's possible that Courtesy was killed in one of the major battles in the War for Convenience, when the decision was handed down from the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade case.
In all of these instances, Courtesy's enemies, Selfish Motives, Selfish Pride, and Self-Absorbed Attitudes, grew ever more powerful. We are now seeing what happens when we live in a world without Courtesy:
People no longer listen to each other.
Respect for authority is out the window.
God needs to conform to man's image, instead of the other way around.
Children are spoiled, disrespectful, and rude, and grow up to be more so.
Manners are seen as weakness.
Hateful language, cursing, and yelling are commonplace in many homes, not to mention on television, the radio, the internet and the movie screen.
People tune out whatever is not entertaining them at the moment.
Courtesy is survived by Diligence, Faithfulness, Loyalty, Dependability, and Self-Control, who are all living in hiding, and are only seen out in public on very rare occasions, as they are fearful for their lives.
There is a small underground resistance that is seeking to protect the surviving family members of Courtesy. You can find them if you are searching for them, but they are often off of the Social Grid, so to speak-they don't often congregate at movie theatres, concert halls, internet cafes, around radios playing anything on the FM dial and most things on the AM dial, or even on government school property. They are quite conspicuous, however, because they say thing like, "No, you first, " and "Yes, sir," and "I'm finished, can I do anything else to help", and "No, you take the last piece of pie". They have an odd habit of looking people in the eye, and working on a project until it is completed, and completed well.
My family and I are a part of the Resistance. Shhh...don't tell anyone. You can join our little club. We hold our meetings on Sundays in churchs all over. Here's the secret password: "Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32.
