Changing the world with a bit of courtesy

I've been thinking about this lately, especially since September is National Courtesy Month. And I've noticed that while the world in which we live can be dark and sometimes foreboding, courtesy and kindness bring pleasant, refreshing light to our lives whether we are the giver, the receiver or just an interested observer. A teenager stands to give an elderly man her seat on a crowded bus. A motorist slows to allow another vehicle to merge onto the freeway. A shopper with a week's worth of groceries in his cart allows someone with only a few items to go ahead of him in the check-out line. Such simple courtesies don't necessarily change our lives, but they can change the way we feel about them.

Even without the slugging.

To read more by Joseph B. Walker, please go to www.josephbwalker.com.

email: jwalker@desnews.com