"The great end of life is not knowledge, but action." I read this very short striking quote from Thomas Huxley, a well know philosopher in the United States. After I have read the line more than twice and made a little reflection, I somehow related it to the word "courtesy". This is a word that is deeply engraved in our memory by our parents, teachers and even friends. They never tire repeating to us the importance of this virtue.
The only way to attain perfection in this world is mastering the virtues and by being "virtuous" as Siddharta Gautama said. How do we start it? We start it by living this virtue in our everyday life and anywhere we go: "courtesy". Courtesy, unlike the other virtues, should be shown explicitly. It is a gauging virtue actually that would test the breeding and behavior of an individual. It would separate the true gentleman from the uncivilized Neanderthal. It is a very simple thing we tend to forget because it seems to be so unimportant and so useless that we may never even think that it would mean a lot. Ignorance can lead us to a big mess. One is having a bad image and reputation, and two, is that, we might even lose our friends.
Some months ago, I had this short chat with my dad. It was one of those short but very meaningful ones. It concerned about friendship and fellowship. I remembered that I asked him tons of questions like "How do I...?" "How should I...?" "What should I...?" Later, I stopped and waited for him to speak, expecting him to give me long, interesting pieces of advice. But all those long questionings were contentedly answered by two simple words: "Be Courteous". It cleaned up all the riddles burning in my head like a splash of cold water. He added: “If you just give them the respect that is rightfully due to them, then you would in turn earn their respect for you. And later on, without noticing it you would find out, you will have a big circle of friends". I reflected deep and long on this advice of my dad and learned how important simple things are: a simple tap on the shoulder, a nod, a simple "Hi", asking someone how he is, saying "good morning" or "good afternoon" to older people, our teachers and peers. They are simple gestures that can never be repaid by anything material. Besides, saying little courteous words to someone won’t hurt anyway. It won’t cost a cent.
MOTTO: "The great end of life is not knowledge, but action."