#3 Courteousness

'"The homeless man stops and says, "Thank you very much."'

Isn't it a catch for attention to read a passage discussing the values of men? The reading text entitled, 'No One Stops To Say "Thank You" Anymore' by L.A Wilson really had made a deep sense of morality even in small things. It awakens what it wants to disturb in a particular angle of our character. Isn't it amazing how the author has succeeded in giving out what she wanted us to convey?

If there is one particular thing that tickled my wonders, it would be the very subject of the text. Even just by reading the title, you would say, "Woah. This may be an interesting article to read." But the enthusiasm I had had did not flinch even in the slightest possibility it could have had. Who would have thought that more than its title, the article itself, as a whole, had a deeper and unique way in bargaining what it is to bargain. It had stated a lot of aspects that one might have just considered as meaningless or can be totally ignored but it did put a whole lot of different picture inside any reader's mind especially in mine.

Courteousness is not about being good at other people's eyes but it is significantly about building our character through our words, thoughts, and deeds. It might help us a lot or give us an air balloon of self-actualization anytime, anywhere. One might think that the other person do not mind at all if we say polite words or do courtesies to them but hey, we do not know at all!

I am born in the world of a me-first generation. And I could say that I actually have had get used to the majority of my age, bumping and not bothering to even say a word or two even a favor has been done to them. But still, the influence of the people whom I have grown up with had meant a lot for me to do things and say things that most teens nowadays do not give a thought in doing.

Occassionally, I am amidst a bustling crowd in everyday's hastiness. And since I am already full of my peers' ignorance in courteousness, I honestly get surprised when one or two do really mind saying, "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me." Being taken aback at their words and their undeniable character, I beam at them like forever is not enough to remember their small politeness that they have shown me.

Sometimes, I think twice as to why people now do not put a remark to theirselves particularly to these kind of things. I'm not saying that I am perfect but I know for myself that words, especially when you mean to say one, do really make a big difference.

A simple "Please" and "Thank You" could mean a lot to anybody who conceals their desire to hear one, right? Because some may not know unless they get one that these words denoting courteousness could actually make them feel self-gratification and importance.

"Good words are worth much and cost little." -Herbert

#2 The Language Learner

How fond am I of talking? Well, I guess I do have more than fondness for it. I have a deep intimacy for it. In my age usually, talking means everything. It triggers us to communicate more and be expressive. And since, to reveal wholly of what we feel, all of us needs and has to want to learn how to communicate not only to where we reside but also to the world. But how?

Samuel Johnson once quoted, "language is the dress of our thoughts." And indeed, he was truly right.

Language gives us the pass to portals of other people's minds. No one really knows when we had had the language we have been using since the beginning of time and human race. We are so crafty and crazy about things that usuably, we tend to not notice the evolution of our words and so, we talk not prior to what we want to say.

Why? If then that language is the dress of our thoughts, the choice of words then also matter that much.

They do, yes, worth much and cost little. So how do we then contemplate the language as a whole and the words, a part of it?

First, we need to be wary when somebody is talking to us. It's after all, a twig that connects us to the roots. Their choice of words would somehow give us some cue of how they feel and what they perceive. It would also show us a hint of how we would be using and what kind of words would we be stating. Our listening skills in this point is used. Therefore, to listen is significant into becoming a good language learner.

Second, after listening so to the things the second person of the conversation has been saying, our response or opinion to the subject would count. It definitely would especially when we could clearly say what it is in our mind. For what a person cannot clearly state, he does not know. Thus, as  Quintillian quoted, "clearness is the most important matter in the use of words." Then another important detail we must not forget into molding ourselves as a good language learner is to practice communication.

 Lastly, to whatever cost it may be, an enthusiastic language learner must be open to feedbacks when they are corrected by the others. It is not to give them a chance to be dominant but by giving yourselves an opportunity to be humbled and be more determined to learn communication not just through writing but also to speaking more importantly.

There are a lot of reason why we should be proactive into learning communication by taming it down to language mastery.

Do you have your ways, too?