A little common courtesy please.

I've been absent for a little while, but I finally found something worth writing about...

I've never been quite up on my etiquette - I know that saying "please" and "thank you" is absolutely necessary to everyday living. I know that if you're riding on the El and a pregnant woman, elderly man or otherwise handicapped person enters the train and no seats are available, you should gladly give up yours. Even with my limited amount of breeding, I know that there are certain things we must do in order to act like civilized human beings.

Yet, I've noticed of late that there are certain situations where people lose all sense of common courtesy. Especially men.

During the "rush hour" period for the El, most people lose all sense of awareness of the people around them. No longer do men let women go first, kindly hold the El door, or get up from their seats for a woman - rather, they're the ones pushing past you to get first dibs on the "prime" spot on the train (usually by the doors so you can lean against the glass partitions) or to get to a seat. Also worth noting is that I have given my seat up more times for someone who has needed it more than men I have traveled with on the train. I can't be completely biased against men because several have offered me seats and I have refused - but, overall, I have not been impressed.

Another frustration - I work on the 64th floor of the second tallest building in Chicago . The wait for the elevators is especially excruciating - particularly during the morning "rush hour" period I mentioned above. You often wait five minutes or more for an elevator to come - by which point quite a large crowd has gathered. Again, no one has common courtesy to allow women to board first - or the people who have been waiting there the longest. I've waited for several elevators to come and go before finally boarding because people merely kept rushing before me to get on, filling it to capacity. I understand the need to get to work - but that's no excuse to leave your manners at home.

Generally speaking, I believe we've all become a little self-absorbed. We block off communication from others by sporting ear plugs and i-Pods during our entire commute to and from work. We're in such a rush to get to and from places, we often forget to appreciate the little things in our everyday lives. I also think we tend to lose the capacity to appreciate the people around us and the need to show a little common respect in some of the easiest ways available.

Perhaps if we just took a step back to examine how we interact with those people we haven't yet met, we'll all be a little more aware of our everyday manners - with the hope that they might improve in even the slightest little bit.