When an important
French dignitary was a guest at a dinner party while visiting
the United States, he was conspicuous for his polite and considerate
manners.
One of the guests
took exception to his display of savoir faire and announced,
"Ah, that's nothing but a lot of wind."
The French dignitary
only smiled. "There is nothing but wind in an automobile
tire, either, but it certainly smooths out the bumps along the
way."
Maybe you don't
consider politeness a suitable topic for a motivational talk,
but consider all the stress, anger, wasted time and blocks to
good human relationships that bad manners can cause.
To me, simply
not having to explain or apologize for my behavior, or not having
to excuse someone else's, is motivation enough to be polite at
all times.
After all, we've
all been warned about being careful who we insult on our way
up the ladder. We might meet them again on the way down!
An insult,
given or taken, isn't worth getting drunk -- or into a fight
-- over.